[ad_1]
The Finnish media point out that the strongest Lithuanian team of the last three years will face the champions of their country, which has already managed to create a scandal in Europe, when they beat their “bigger” rivals – in 2017 “Sion” and Nicosia APOEL, last year – Tel Aviv Maccabi.
Yle.fi points out that only six teams play in our national championship, as one club went bankrupt after last season and two more were eliminated for participating in the agreed matches.
The Finns also know Sūduva’s strategist Saulius Širmelis well, who worked in Helsinki in 2009 and coached local club Atlantis.
“He was approached by a Lithuanian as technical director, but quickly became the head coach. When more than 12 players left the team due to non-payment of salaries, the club was relegated to a lower division, ”writes yle.fi.
Eriko Ovcharenko / 15min nuotr./ Saulius Shirmelis
“Marijampolė Sūduva is a tough and physically strong team who like to play long passes into the penalty area. They have two forwards who move well and good assistants,” said KuPS goalkeeper Otso Virtanen.
According to the Finnish media, the most prominent figure of the “Sūduva” team is Bosnian defender Semir Kerla, who wears an “unusual number 10” for the defender.
In four seasons, the 191cm tall defender has already scored as many as 21 goals, according to the Finns.
Photo by Saulius Čirba / Semiras Kerla
The fact that Argentine midfielder Nicolas Gorobsov had reinforced “Sūduva” just before the match with KuPS was not overlooked by the local media either. He moved from Romania and came to Kuopio together with Sūduva.
Yle.fi also points out that although 11 Lithuanians play in the strongest Lithuanian team, none of them were invited to the national team when they played the Nations League matches with Kazakhstan and Albania a few weeks ago.
“Marijampolė was the only club in league A that did not delegate any player to the national team”, an interesting fact is presented by Yle.fi.
Marijampolė was the only club in the A League that did not delegate any player to the national team.
In the 21st century, the Helsinki HJK Club fought Lithuanian clubs twice in the European Cups.
“Vilnius” Storm “unpleasantly surprised Helsinki in the 2009 European League, but a year later Panevėžys” Ekranas “was crushed in the Champions League national team. The fact that Lithuanian football lacks stability is perfectly demonstrated by the fact that both clubs have been bankrupt for a long time ”, writes the local media.
Although Finnish football clubs are much richer than Lithuanians, observers in the country also note that in Thursday’s game not only the ticket for the next round will be put on the card, but 300 thousand. EUR UEFA voucher.
A home game, according to the Finns, is also an advantage for KuPS. “But also on paper, Kuopio’s team is better than Sūduva,” notes hbl.fi.
“We have analyzed our rivals a lot and we know how they play. They have already pulled the Flora of Tallinn out of their fight and we understand that we must do everything possible to move on to the next stage. In the match with Bratislava Slovan we played the best match of the season. We expect the same on Thursday, “Norwegian Arne Erlandsen, who coaches KuPS, said before the match.
Stopkadras / Arne Erlandsenas
In the next round of the competition, the winner of this pair will face the Stockholm Djurgardens or Cluj CFR.
“I believe that we must work professionally and with determination every day in training, and when the European struggles come, try to march as far as possible. I think this match will be a great test of the level we really are, ”said the KuPS strategist before the confrontation with the Suvalk people.
[ad_2]
