Željko Sopic ahead of Brann game: “We will give everything to get our first points”

Kauno Žalgiris head coach Željko Sopic believes his side can secure their first points in the UEFA Conference League when they host Norwegian club Brann in Kaunas on Thursday. The Croatian manager in the pre-match press conference acknowledged the quality of the opposition but insisted that playing at home could give the Lithuanian champions an opportunity to produce a positive result.

Kauno Žalgiris began their league-phase campaign with a defeat against Brighton, but Sopic believes Thursday’s opponents, despite their strengths, represent a different challenge. “First of all, we are very proud and very happy that we can play in European competition. It’s something new for us,” Sopic said during Wednesday’s pre-match press conference.

“We will give everything to take points tomorrow against Brann. I watched four or five of their games, and they are a very, very good team, but I don’t think they are at Brighton’s level. With the help of our supporters, I’m pretty sure we can take something tomorrow. One or three points, we will see, but we will give everything.”

Sopic also provided an assessment of Brann’s tactical approach, highlighting their organisation and ability to transition quickly between defence and attack.

“They play their own style of football, like many teams from Norway, Denmark and Sweden. They defend zonally and are very fast in transition. They play 4-3-3 in attack and 4-4-2 with a diamond when defending,” he explained. “They have more experience in this kind of competition than we do, but we are playing at our stadium, and we will give everything to achieve a good result and keep the three points in Kaunas.”

The fixture comes during a demanding period for Kauno Žalgiris, who secured a crucial 1-0 away victory over Sūduva in the Lithuanian Toplyga on Sunday thanks to Renan Oliveira’s stoppage-time winner. With another important domestic fixture scheduled for Monday, Sopic admitted that changes to his starting lineup remain possible.

“When I arrived here on July 1, we played 20 games in 80 days. I always say that we have 22 players,” the Croatian explained. “We will see tomorrow. Maybe we will make some changes, maybe not. I will discuss everything with the coaching staff.”

The manager also emphasised the physical demands of Sunday’s victory in Marijampolė, pointing to the difficult playing surface. “It was not an easy game against Sūduva, not only because of the opponent but also because of the pitch. It was a very heavy pitch, unlike ours, where the ball moves quickly and you can play fast football.”

Despite the congested schedule, Sopic remains optimistic about the atmosphere surrounding the club’s European fixtures. He expects approximately 5,000 spectators for Thursday’s encounter and believes strong performances are essential to attracting larger crowds.

“I think tomorrow there will be around 5,000 people. The most important thing for us is to show a good performance. Only with good performances will more people come to the stadium,” he said.

Kauno Žalgiris defender Anton Tolordava echoed his manager’s determination to secure a positive result against the Norwegian visitors. “Our expectations are the same as always. We want to get our first points in the Conference League. We are playing at home, and we will do our best to get one or three points,” Tolordava said.

The defender confirmed that the team had already analysed Brann and identified areas they could potentially exploit. “They are a very organised and compact team, but every club has its strengths and weaknesses. We will try to exploit their weaknesses and achieve the best possible result.”

Tolordava also highlighted the strong atmosphere within the dressing room, despite the squad consisting of players from numerous countries. “From the first day, we have been like one family, one big group. We know each other well. We also have some new players, but it’s easy for them to adapt because we are together and play like a family.”

Sopic agreed, describing the close relationship between players and staff as one of the club’s strengths.

“Our whole club is like one big family. We are not a huge club with 150 or 200 people working here. We have a small group of people around us who help us work better and prepare for these kinds of games,” he said.

“The most important thing is that everybody is happy, and at the moment, we are happy.”