Sports Mole previews Thursday’s World Cup Qualifying – Europe clash between Lithuania and Malta, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Propping up the standings in Group G of UEFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying, Lithuania and Malta at the Darius and Girenas Stadium on Thursday evening.
Neither side boasts a single win in the preliminary stages so far, and reaching next year’s Finals in North America is surely nothing more than a pipe dream for both head coaches.
Match preview
Approaching 15 months since their last victory – a Baltic Cup triumph over Latvia in June 2024 – Lithuania’s long wait for a first major tournament appearance at a World Cup or European Championships is destined to continue for a little while longer.
The world’s 143rd-ranked nation have only ever won 18 matches in World Cup Qualifying since the breakup of the Soviet Union, and after three games in Group G this time around, the Tricolours are still waiting for all-time victory number 19.
Edgaras Jankauskas‘s side only suffered a one-goal loss to Poland first up and held Finland to a respectable 2-2 stalemate in matchday two, but they failed to break down upcoming foes Malta in their last qualifier and were brushed aside by a dominant Denmark in a recent friendly.
Mika Biereth, Christian Eriksen, Kasper Dolberg, Rasmus Kristensen and Anders Dreyer all breached the Lithuania backline in a 5-0 battering on June 10, as the hosts’ winless streak in all tournaments stretched to a dismal 11 matches, leaving them fourth in the table and four off the Netherlands in the playoff spot.
Qualification of course remains a mathematical possibility, but as Lithuania have also failed to find the back of the net in four of their last five matches in all competitions, optimism may not be high among the faithful.
Malta cannot offer Lithuania any lessons in attacking proficiency, though, or indeed defensive solidity, as their fellow minnows enter the bottom-of-the-group scrap having been hit for eight by a ruthless Netherlands without reply on matchday four.
Donyell Malen and Memphis Depay both helped themselves to braces while Xavi Simons, Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven and Noa Lang also got in on the act during a Euroborg embarrassment, although that result does not quite represent Malta’s biggest loss of all time.
The world’s 168th-ranked nation were once obliterated 12-1 by Spain in the 1980s, but while La Roja struck a dozen goals in those 90 minutes just over 40 years ago, Malta have only managed the same amount across each of their last 18 matches in all competitions, and none from their last four.
With zero goals and zero wins to their name in World Cup 2026 Qualifying so far, Emilio De Leo‘s men are dead last in the standings, but a first win since late 2023 – a friendly success over Gibraltar – would lift them above Lithuania for a few days at the very least.
Malta need not travel back far for their most recent triumph in this battle – a 2-0 friendly win in 2015 – but Lithuania have avoided defeat in each of their other five head-to-heads, conceding just once across their last three scraps.
Lithuania World Cup Qualifying – Europe form:
Malta World Cup Qualifying – Europe form:
Team News
Lithuania’s cause against Denmark in their recent friendly was not helped by a first-half red card to defender Edgaras Utkus, but that sending-off means nothing for this fixture.
Utkus is therefore fine to line up in a Tricolours side also boasting 100-cap Fedor Cernych, the Zalgiris winger who will go level with all-time appearance maker Saulius Mikoliunas if he plays on Thursday.
While many of the Lithuania crop ply their trade in their homeland – and some as far and wide as Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan and Japan – 21-year-old midfielder Gvidas Gineitis represents Torino in Serie A.
On Malta’s end, De Leo will be forced into a change in the engine room, as Matthew Guillaumier picked up his second yellow card of qualifying in the loss to the Netherlands and will serve a one-game ban on Thursday night.
Further forward, Notts County’s Jodi Jones is a contender to lead the line, but Reims playmaker Teddy Teuma and Wigan Athletic’s James Carragher – son of Liverpool great Jamie – are not in the squad.
Lithuania possible starting lineup:
Gertmonas; Upstas, Kazukolovas, Utkus, Lasickas; Slivka, Gineitis, Vorobjovas, Sirgedas, Cernych; Paulauskas
Malta possible starting lineup:
Bonello; Muscat, Pepe, Shaw, Camenzuli; Satariano, Grech, Yankam; Jones, P. Mbong, J. Mbong
We say: Lithuania 1-0 Malta
Sparks should not fly between the two lowest-ranked teams in Group G, especially considering their respective scoring struggles and recent bore 0-0 draw.
However, if there is to be one moment of quality in Thursday’s tie, it should come the way of the hosts, who boast more international goalscoring pedigree within their ranks.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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