Real Madrid lifting the Champions League trophy is still fresh in the memory but qualifying for the 2022/23 competition has already started.
On the 5th of July we have a meeting between KF Ballkani and FK Žalgiris in the first qualifying round of the competition and the first leg will be played at the Suva Reka City Stadium.
Champions league 1st QF round draw set us up to face Kosovo champions FC Ballkani. pic.twitter.com/wofXUoAVEs— FK Žalgiris Vilnius (@fkzalgiris) June 14, 2022
Champions league 1st QF round draw set us up to face Kosovo champions FC Ballkani. pic.twitter.com/wofXUoAVEs
KF Ballkani qualified for the Champions League by winning the Kosovo Superliga last season. They finished 12 points clear of the second place team, meaning KF Ballkani won the Kosovo title convincingly.
However, they did lose 2 of their final 4 matches in the league and will want to put those defeats behind them ahead of this tie.
KF Ballkani have played just one friendly game ahead of this match and they beat Shkupi of Macedonia 2-0 away from home. This will be the first time KF Ballkani have played in the Champions League so there are no previous results to look back on when assessing their credentials in the tournament.
Their home form in the Kosovo Superliga is excellent and KF Ballkani have won 12 of their last 14 home league fixtures. They will be hoping to carry that form over into Champions League qualifying. Trends show KF Ballkani have scored 2 or more goals in 8 of their 10 most recent home matches in all competitions.
FK Žalgiris make the trip to the Suva Reka City Stadium for this first leg sitting top of the 2022 Lithuania Lyga. Unlike the Kosovo league, the Lithuanian league is still in progress and FK Žalgiris sit top of the table having played 18 matches. They are 5 points clear of the team in second place and have won each of their last 4 fixtures.
The wins have come over Džiugas Telšiai and Hegelmann Litauen at home plus Panevezys and Suduva away. FK Žalgiris have a strong recent away record and they have won each of their last 6 games on the road, remaining undefeated in their last 15 away matches, all of which have been domestic fixtures.
FK Žalgiris participated in Champions League qualifying last season but were eliminated at the second qualifying round stage by Ferencvaros. FK Žalgiris have recorded one win from their previous 5 away Champions League games, with the only win coming at Linfield in the first qualifying round last season.
Team news and KF Ballkani will be relying on striker Ermal Krasniqi for goals as he was their top scorer last season. He will be partnered by Nazmi Gripshi in attack for the hosts.
FK Žalgiris can call upon Brazilian forward Renan Oliveira, who has 8 goals to his name in 13 league matches this season. Ghanian Francis Kyeremeh provides a goal threat from midfield.
Everything points towards a comfortable win for FK Žalgiris in this game. They are in full flow of their domestic season and they have progressed beyond this round of the Champions League in the past. We expect to see both teams scoring but FK Žalgiris to come away with a commanding lead.