Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Lithuania and Italy take on each other in a David-vs-Goliath clash at LFF stadionas on Wednesday evening. The Azzurri kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with back-to-back wins over Northern Ireland (2-0) and Bulgaria (2-0), and, as a result, they are leading the standings ahead of the trip to Vilnius. The Italians are eyeing their sixth consecutive win in all competitions, and given their rock-solid defence, away win should be considered.
Lazio attacker Ciro Immobile is widely expected to return to the starting XI, as well as Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli, who scored a beautiful goal at the weekend. Following a heavy 4-0 loss to Kosovo in a friendly, the Lithuanians were beaten by Switzerland in the opening match of their World Cup qualifying campaign, and we do not believe that they are capable of matching Roberto Mancini’s troops behind closed doors.
Highlighted Player (Vytautas Andriuskevicius):
Vytautas Andriuskevicius is a Lithuania international who plays for Portland Timbers as a left back. Andriuskevicius started his senior career at FBK Kaunas, but he made no more than 17 league appearances for the Lithuanian club from 2007 to 2010.
In 2010 he joined Polish outfit Lechia Gdansk and he spent three seasons at Stadion Energa Gdansk. After ending his spell with Lechia, Vytautas Andriuskevicius moved to Sweden, signing a deal with Djurgardens. He played 31 league games for the Iron Stoves and at the end of the 2013/2014 season he joined Cambuur.
After spending two seasons in the Dutch club, the Lithuanian footballer signed for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers on July 14, 2016. Andriuskevicius is a full back who side position is centre back and it has to be noted that he was born on October 8, 1990 in Alytus, Lithuania. The 188-cm tall defender made his Lithuania debut on August 10, 2011 in a friendly against Armenia.
Highlighted Team (Italy):
With four World Cup titles and one European Championship trophy, Italy remain one of world’s most successful teams and they have also finished as runners up at major tournaments on four occasions. The Azzurri have become famous for their result oriented football over the years which is perfectly suited for World Cup and Euro finals, so it is now a surprise when they fail to reach the final stages.
After winning the second and third edition of the World Cup, Italy endured a difficult period until lifting their first European Championship title in 1968, while they also managed to show some improvement at the turn of the century. While winning the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the Azzurri reached Euro finals in 2000 and 2012, and they are still regarded as one of the leading sides in Europe.
There have been too many high-profile players leaving their mark on the national team to count, but the likes of Paolo Maldini, Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Dino Zoff, Roberto Baggio, Luigi Riva and Alessandro Del Piero will go down as some of the most successful ones.