Lithuania - Poland: Prediction and Match Preview

October 12, 2025 9:45 PM. Kaunas
2026 World Cup Qualifiers

Lithuania vs Poland: Bookmakers' Odds

Lithuania

Lithuania, which has a 14-match unbeaten streak, is showing clear signs of fatigue - both physical and psychological - in its World Cup qualifier against Poland in Kaunas on Sunday.

Edgaras Jankauskas' team suffered a painful 1-2 defeat to Finland in Helsinki on Thursday, despite leading after half-time and appearing to be on the verge of ending this long-awaited drought.

Ahead of the match against Poland, the 50-year-old coach admits the team is going through a difficult period, but stresses that he does not want disappointment turned into distrust.

“Of course, we feel the pressure. Of course, we want to win, but we also focus on the process, analyze what happened in specific games and how. I will repeat it again: there are very serious reasons why we are not doing well. Even in this cycle, the matches we have lost were lost by a small margin. The result in all of them could have changed. All this pushes the players forward; at this stage we cannot afford to stop. We may not have reached the level of skill that would allow us to win matches, but we are definitely close. No team can beat us easily,” the coach said.

Arturas Dolžnikovas, who received a yellow card in the game against Finland, will not be able to play in Sunday’s match, but the national team manager downplayed its significance.

“In the match against Finland, we had six players who, if they had been warned, could have missed this game against the Poles. In the end, Arturas was eliminated, but we are used to such situations in recent cycles. It is very unfortunate how that game against Helsinki ended. I still believe that only small details separated us from a better result. But we need to forget about it as soon as possible, shake it off.” Put aside your negative emotions and be fully prepared."

Back in March in Warsaw, when the Lithuanians gave the Poles a real challenge and lost only due to a bad rebound, the opponents were still led by Michal Probezh. Now Jan Urban is at the helm. When the Lithuanian coach was asked if the team had changed after the changes, he did not go into details.

"You can see the differences, new ideas - yes, the players have probably become more motivated. When such changes occur, players find the energy to reboot, they want to show their best and secure their places. These few victories under the new coach have given the Poles more confidence. We expect a strong opponent in good form.

The Polish team is clearly stronger in terms of individual players - most of their leaders play in the higher leagues - but when it comes to athleticism and pressing, the Finns also have their strengths, as their qualifying victory over the same Poles showed. The Finns simply have a different style - they press more, they look for physical contact. The Poles have world-class players; they want to play combination football, one-on-one,” Jankauskas said.

Poland

The Polish football team arrived in Lithuania after an earthquake shook the country’s footballing foundations. Coach Michal Probezh left his post due to strained relations with captain Robert Lewandowski. Six months after Poland and Lithuania last met in Warsaw, a different man sits on the bench - Jan Urban, a coach who is trying to restore calm and the team’s lost unity.

His first step was the return of the Barcelona star and a promise to restore stability.

The Poles, who are second in qualifying Group G, hope that after this timely restart they can challenge the Dutch for first place, who have three more points.

On the other hand, after beating Lithuania this week, the Finns, who also have 10 points, are now breathing down Poland's neck.

Only the group winners get a direct ticket to next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, while the second-placed teams can continue their fight in the play-offs.

On the eve of the match against Kaunas, there is cautious optimism in the Polish camp - fatigue from internal conflicts remains, but the desire to prove that new hope can emerge from chaos. stronger.

On Thursday, the Poles beat New Zealand 1-0 in a friendly. Lewandowski was in the squad, but he kept his strength for Kaunas and did not play, and the victory was sealed by a goal by Piotr Zielinski on 49th minute.

“We know we are favourites and any result other than a win will be seen as a failure. I fully understand the responsibility.

Nobody has beaten Lithuania by a big margin; every team that has taken three points had to work for it. We need to realise that. Neither the players nor the coaches like these games because they know they have to win. We have a serious task ahead of us, but we need to stay true to ourselves, give it our all and see if that is enough to beat Lithuania,” Urban said.

Lithuania vs Poland: Predicted Line-ups

Lithuania: Gertmonas; Sirvis, Upstas, Girdvainis, Armalas, Lasickas; Sirgedas, Vorobjovas, Gineitis, Chernykh; Paulauskas

Poland: Skorupski; Kesh, Wietka, Bednarek, Kiwir; Szymanski, Zelinski, Slis, Kaminski; Swiderski, Lewandowski

Lithuania vs. Poland: Author's Prediction

Despite boasting one of the best strikers in the world, Poland is not the most productive team, so it can only score one or two goals.

Urban is right: to beat Lithuania, the Eagles will have to give it their all. But even then, the victory will probably be insignificant. Prediction: 0-1 or 1-2.