Lithuania and Liechtenstein will bid farewell to the soon-to-be defunct League D of the UEFA Nations League (UNL) with the aim of avoiding a last-placed finish in Group 2 when they meet in Kaunas.
Match News and Current Form
Lithuania could face a painful return to League C as part of the UNL reformatting for 2028/29, so it’s important that they take this opportunity to potentially record just their sixth win in UNL history (D4, L20). It would also be a delightful way for caretaker manager Mindaugas Čepas to crown a new era after the team failed to score against Suriname (D 0-0) in his first assignment on Friday night, in what was their seventh scoreless outing from their last 12 matches. There was already plenty of disappointment in the camp after they failed to top the group on their League D debut, leading to the sacking of Edgaras Jankauskas immediately after a 1-0 loss to Azerbaijan.
Liechtenstein are destined to finish last in Group 2 unless they can eclipse their 2-0 defeat at home to Lithuania in September and defeat them on the head-to-head tiebreaker. That in itself appears to be an almost impossible task for a team that last scored three goals in a single game back in 2007 and haven’t even scored in a UEFA competitive match since losing 3-1 at home to San Marino in November 2024! Since then, there have been ten defeats and a 0-0 draw in UNL or World Cup qualifying matches in which they conceded 34 goals without reply, with a repeat of the 0-0 draw away to Azerbaijan in this UNL cycle perhaps the best they can hope for.
Head-to-Head History
Lithuania’s 2-0 win in the reverse H2H was the first meeting between these teams since 2013 (Lithuania: W5, D1, L1), with five of the seven games being decided 2-0.
Hot Stats and Streaks
Lithuania kept a clean sheet in seven of their last eight wins.
Lithuania trailed at half-time in only one of their last nine matches.
Liechtenstein’s last seven matches all produced under 2.5 total goals, including five 2-0 losses.
Liechtenstein failed to score in 15 of their last 17 defeats.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Edgaras Dubickas is likely to get some additional minutes in the absence of Lithuania’s suspended lead striker, particularly after scoring in three of his last five club appearances of at least 30 minutes (W3). Liechtenstein substitute Ferhat Sağlam was their last player to score in any win, whilst his only UNL goal came on the road in a 2-2 draw away to Gibraltar.
In addition to the suspension of Armandas Kučys, the Lithuanian trio of Edgaras Utkus, Vykintas Slivka and Tomas Svedkauskas are injured. Liechtenstein’s main absence is captain Nicolas Hasler.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
The H2H history and Liechtenstein’s recent form both suggest that backing Lithuania to win 2-0 could be an ambitious but successful pick.
Author: Aaron Murphy