Round 19 of the TOPLYGA season continues on Sunday and Monday with four intriguing fixtures as the race for the championship and European qualification intensifies.
Banga Gargždai vs FC Hegelmann
Banga head into Sunday’s clash on the back of victories over both of the league’s pre-season favourites.
Last week could hardly have gone any better for the Gargždai side. Consecutive wins over FK Kauno Žalgiris and FK Žalgiris Vilnius propelled them firmly back into contention for a place in the top three. Following the removal of Riteriai from the TOPLYGA and the subsequent update to the league table, Banga remain the division’s strongest defensive team, although only Panevėžys have scored fewer goals this season.
David Afonso’s men have not lost at home for almost three months, and another victory would extend their advantage over Sunday’s opponents to nine points.
FC Hegelmann, meanwhile, have looked like a completely different side away from home. The Kaunas District club have played the fewest away matches in the league so far, managing just one win and six goals in seven outings. Half of those goals came in their memorable victory over Žalgiris. Having drawn more than half of their league matches, Hegelmann have also welcomed back two players from injury, with Esmilis Kaušinis and Domas Slendzoka both making their returns to action.
Džiugas Telšiai vs FK Žalgiris Vilnius
Sunday’s headline fixture will be broadcast live on BTV.
Including the LFF Cup, Džiugas are experiencing their first run of three consecutive matches without a victory this season. Their hopes of reaching European competition through the domestic cup were ended in midweek when they were eliminated by FA Šiauliai in the quarter-finals.
Since Andrius Lipskis took charge, Džiugas have managed only one victory in June during each of the previous two seasons, and this year has followed the same pattern. Midfielder Nikita Pavlovskis will miss Sunday’s match through suspension.
Žalgiris appeared to be gathering momentum after back-to-back hard-fought victories, but their progress was halted by a heavy defeat in Gargždai, one of the club’s biggest TOPLYGA losses in recent years. However, following Riteriai’s removal from the standings, only four points separate Žalgiris and Džiugas. A victory in Telšiai would reduce that gap to just one point.
The Vilnius side have been inconsistent away from home, winning only one of their last five league matches on the road. They have also suffered two defeats in Telšiai since 2021.
FA Šiauliai vs FK TransINVEST
FA Šiauliai return to league action at home after a month away.
Excluding the annulled May fixture against Riteriai, this will be Mantas Kuklys’ side’s first TOPLYGA match of the season at the city’s main stadium. Having spent nearly two months away from home, the schedule now offers an excellent opportunity to improve their position in the standings.
Šiauliai have been significantly stronger on home soil, while the arrival of prolific striker Davis Ikaunieks, who enjoyed an impressive goalscoring campaign in 2024, provides an additional boost. Reaching the LFF Cup semi-finals also brought an end to the club’s winless run in competitive matches.
TransINVEST, meanwhile, endured a difficult week. After a heavy league defeat to Kauno Žalgiris, they followed it up with an LFF Cup exit at the hands of DFK Dainava. Although the disappointment of missing out on silverware is unlikely to have a major impact on Monday’s fixture, suspensions will force changes to the squad.
Domantas Šluta, Denis Bošnjak and Edvinas Kloniūnas are all unavailable through suspension, while Mantas Bertašius has been ruled out with an injury. Moldovan goalkeeper Igor Mostovei has already arrived as his replacement and featured for the club’s B team on Saturday.
FK Panevėžys vs Sūduva Marijampolė
Monday’s match from Aukštaitija Stadium will also be shown live on BTV.
Panevėžys became the second TOPLYGA club to be knocked out of the LFF Cup by a First League side after their quarter-final elimination in midweek. Their recent league victory over FA Šiauliai at least allowed them to move further clear of the team currently occupying last place.
Panevėžys have generally performed much better at home and now face two consecutive matches on their own ground. However, defensive frailties remain a persistent concern throughout the campaign. Brazilian midfielder Elivelto has returned after nearly a month out and could be named in the starting line-up.
Sūduva arrive in excellent form, boasting the league’s longest unbeaten run, stretching back almost two months. Their sequence of seven unbeaten matches has lifted Donatas Vencevičius’ side into third place with 26 points.
Should Sūduva win in Panevėžys while Džiugas lose at home, the Marijampolė club will begin July at the top of the TOPLYGA standings. Despite last week’s important victory in Telšiai, however, Sūduva have still found life away from home challenging at times this season.
Source: https://toplyga.lt/naujiena/turo-anonsas-suduva-gali-buti-pirma/9484
