Analysis and prediction for Lithuania vs Malta: A minimal margin of victory.
The World Cup qualifying match between Lithuania and Malta will take place at 11:00 PM on September 4th. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes the teams' form, provides football commentary, and predicts the score.
Latest team news for Lithuania vs Malta
In their recent friendly match against Denmark, Lithuania had to play with ten men after defender Edgaras Utkus received a red card in the first half. However, this suspension will not affect the upcoming match, so he will still be able to play.
The "Three Colors" squad also includes Fedor Cernych – the Zalgiris winger with 100 caps for the national team, and if he plays in this match he will equal Saulius Mikoliunas' record for the most appearances.
Besides players currently playing domestically, Lithuania also has players who play in Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and Japan. Notably, young midfielder Gvidas Gineitis (21 years old) is currently playing for Torino in Serie A.
On the Maltese side, coach De Leo was forced to make personnel changes in midfield as Matthew Guillaumier was suspended after accumulating enough yellow cards in the defeat against the Netherlands.
In attack, Jodi Jones (Notts County) could be the choice to lead the forward line, while playmaker Teddy Teuma (Reims) and James Carragher of Wigan Athletic – son of Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher – are both absent from this training camp.
Latest predicted lineups for Lithuania vs Malta
Lithuania:
Gertmonas; Upstas, Kazukolovas, Utkus, Lasickas; Slivka, Gineitis, Vorobjovas, Sirgedas, Cernych; Paulauskas
Malta:
Bonello; Muscat, Pepe, Shaw, Camenzuli; Satariano, Grech, Yankam; Jones, P. Mbong, J. Mbong
Latest football match prediction: Lithuania vs Malta
Nearly 15 months have passed since their last victory – winning the Baltic Cup against Latvia in June 2024 – and Lithuania's thirst for a win and their dream of participating in a major tournament like the World Cup or Euro for the first time still lingers.
The team, currently ranked 143rd in the world, has only won 18 World Cup qualifying matches since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. After three matches in Group G, the "Three Colors" are still unable to find their 19th victory in history.
Edgaras Jankauskas's team started with a narrow defeat against Poland, then drew 2-2 with Finland in the second match. However, they were helpless against Malta in the next match and were then thrashed 5-0 by Denmark in a friendly, with goals from Mika Biereth, Christian Eriksen, Kasper Dolberg, Rasmus Kristensen and Anders Dreyer.
That defeat extended Lithuania's winless streak across all competitions to 11 matches, leaving them fourth in the group, four points behind the Netherlands in the race for a play-off spot.
In theory, the chance to advance is still there, but Lithuania's failure to score in four of their last five matches has left fans' confidence very fragile.
Malta fared no better in terms of both attack and defense. They entered the final group stage match after being thrashed 8-0 by the Netherlands in their fourth game.
In the defeat at Euroborg, Donyell Malen and Memphis Depay each scored a brace, while Xavi Simons, Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, and Noa Lang also found the net. However, that was not Malta's heaviest defeat in history.
The team, ranked 168th in the world, once lost to Spain 1-12 in the 1980s. More than 40 years have passed since that historic match, but Malta has only scored 12 goals in their last 18 games, and has failed to score in their last four matches.
With no points and no goals after four matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Emilio De Leo's team is currently at the bottom of the table. However, if they secure their first win since the end of 2023 – when they beat Gibraltar in a friendly – they will temporarily overtake Lithuania in the standings.
Malta beat Lithuania 2-0 in a friendly match in 2015, but in the remaining five encounters, Lithuania remained unbeaten, conceding only one goal in the last three matches.
Latest Lithuania vs Malta score prediction
Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Lithuania vs Maltaas follows:
- Sportsmole:Lithuania 2-0 Malta
- WhoScore:Lithuania 1-0 Malta
- Our newspaper predicts:Lithuania 1-0 Malta
When and where can I watch Lithuania vs Malta live?
To watch the Lithuania vs Malta match live in the World Cup Qualifiers at 11:00 PM on September 4th, viewers can tune in to various online sports channels. We wish you enjoyable football viewing moments.
