On Wednesday morning, the players of FK Kauno Žalgiris departed from Kaunas Airport en route to the United Kingdom, reaching their destination in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.
The team is preparing for the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference league first qualifying round against Welsh side Penybont FC, set to take place this Thursday at the Cardiff International Sports Campus.
Having secured a convincing 3-0 victory in the first leg played in Jonava, the Lithuanian side is in a strong position.
However, head coach Eivinas Černiauskas remains cautious, urging his team not to underestimate their opponents and to treat the upcoming match as far from decided.
“We said it right after the first match in Jonava, that was just the first half,” Černiauskas told ahead of the evening training session in Cardiff. “We’ve all seen bigger leads overturned in football, so we’ve kept that mindset throughout training in Kaunas, and we’ll reinforce it again today and tomorrow before the match. I believe the players understand this well. This isn’t a young team. Everyone knows what’s at stake, and we all want to reach the second round.”
The coach expects Penybont to come out with high intensity from the opening whistle, with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“In the first match, it became clear this would be a very physical contest, full of battles,” Černiauskas said. “I expect an even tougher game tomorrow. Their team has no pressure, so from the first seconds we’re expecting them to press hard, send in lots of long balls into our box, and fight for every inch. We need to be ready for that.”
Although the match won’t be played in the city’s main 30,000-seat stadium, but rather across the street at the Cardiff International Sports Campus, Černiauskas praised the conditions.
“The conditions here are excellent. The pitch is truly impressive, the stadium is good, everything we need to play quality football is in place,” he added.
The second-leg showdown between FK Kauno Žalgiris and Penybont will kick off at 8:00 PM Lithuanian time.
Source: https://zalgiris.lt/naujienos/e-cerniauskas-pries-dvikova-velse-laukiame-spaudimo-nuo-pirmu-sekundziu
