Lithuania vs Andorra prediction: Lithuania must beat the modest visitors
After two rounds of the Nations League, Lithuania will have a chance to catch its breath and take a look at its fringe players. On September 30, Edgaras Jankauskas's side will face Andorra in Kaunas. The match will be held at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium and will kick off at 19:00 local time. The fixture was originally scheduled by the Lithuanian Football Federation as part of a packed international window.
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Lithuania head into the game in a positive frame of mind. In the opening round of the Nations League, they defeated Liechtenstein 2-0 before drawing 1-1 at home with Azerbaijan. The hosts opened the scoring against Azerbaijan as early as the ninth minute, with Armandas Kučys converting a penalty, but Mahir Emreli soon restored parity. There were no further goals after that.
For Jankauskas, the match against Andorra is a good opportunity to give playing time to footballers who have seen fewer minutes in competitive fixtures. The coach had already spoken about the need for a larger squad, especially with four matches scheduled during this international window.
Andorra's situation is more intriguing. Koldo Álvarez's team began the Nations League with a 1-2 defeat to Malta, despite taking the lead through Guillaume Lopez. Three days later, the Andorrans were much more cautious, drawing 0-0 away to Gibraltar. The visitors created several decent chances in that game, but their finishing once again let them down.
The head-to-head record is entirely in Lithuania's favor. The teams have met twice in friendly matches: Lithuania won 4-0 in 1998 and prevailed 3-1 in 2009. In other words, Andorra have never managed to take points off this opponent.
That said, another big win is not a given. This is a friendly, and both national teams have already played two matches within a few days. Much will therefore depend on rotation and motivation. Lithuania look more dangerous in attack, while Andorra will surely once again rely on a compact defensive shape and counterattacks. As a result, we could be in for a fairly cagey contest in which the cost of the first mistake will be especially high.
My prediction: Lithuania to win.
