After spending four editions in League C of the UEFA Nations League (UNL), Lithuania begin their life in League D with a fixture against perennial strugglers Liechtenstein.
Match News and Current Form
Liechtenstein have never qualified for a major international tournament and are Europe’s second-lowest ranked nation at number 206, so their failures to qualify for both the 2024 European Championships and 2026 World Cup came as no real surprise. They scored just one goal and conceded 59 goals en route to losing all 18 games in those two tournaments, and whilst recent form shows marginal improvement, conceding eight goals in their four most recent games (W1, L3), their historical struggles in the UNL give little reason to be optimistic. The hosts didn't win a single game in the last two editions of the UNL (D2, L8), but the two draws have come under current boss Konrad Fünfstück, who will target a competitive return here.
Lithuania also have never qualified for a major tournament, but face a different challenge after being demoted to League D for the first time in their history. That was a result of losing all six games in the 2024/25 tournament, making it 11 defeats and one draw from their last 12 UNL matches (excluding play-offs). Edgaras Jankauskas’ men bring some better recent form into this tournament with two wins from their last four games (L2), and whilst they are guaranteed a return to League C due to the imminent scrapping of League D for 2028/29, the Tricolours will be expected to affirm their superiority and end a run of three consecutive losses on the road in this competition.
Head-to-Head History
This is the first meeting since 2013 and Lithuania have lost just one of the last six H2Hs (W4, D1), keeping a clean sheet in four of those games.
Hot Stats and Streaks
Eleven of Liechtenstein’s last 13 defeats saw them fail to score.
Four of Liechtenstein’s last five UNL matches produced more goals in the second half.
Eight of Lithuania’s last nine UNL matches saw an odd number of total goals scored.
Lithuania’s last six wins produced under 2.5 goals.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Nicolas Hasler, who has the third-most goals in Liechtenstein’s history, has seen his nation avoid defeat in the last six games he scored (W3, D3). A goal from Armandas Kučys may not change that script, as his last two UNL goals came in the first half and ended in defeats for Lithuania.
Both teams escaped any new major injuries, with all players called up for their national squads heading to their respective camps.
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Betting Analysis
Even a draw would be a huge boost for Liechtenstein, but Lithuania are unlikely to afford that luxury, so Lithuania winning with a clean sheet could be a way to unlock value in this encounter.
Author: Sridhar Bhamidi