- Home form: Kauno are unbeaten at home in 4 games across all competitions (W4, L0).
- Away form: Brann Bergen have played some good football on the road, but have also been vulnerable on occasion.
- Matchup note: Brann are a decent side, but they appear slightly less well suited to play at Kauno.
Zalgiris set to frustrate the visitors
Home form
Zalgiris are a fairly well structured unit, who can be difficult to break down in the proper conditions. They're unbeaten at Dariaus Ir Gireno Stadium, winning four games in a row and scoring 14 goals in the process, an average of 3.50 per match.
Tactics and overall form
Željko Sopić has drilled them into a compact, low-block shape designed to frustrate opponents, and hit quickly on the counter, but their recent form has been mixed (W3, L2).
However, in all competitions, they've been much more solid, winning six, drawing one and losing three of their last 10 matches, so they're a side that can grind out results.
Bergens Stolthet to find things tough
Style of play
Eirik Horneland has Brann Bergen playing an aggressive, high-press style of soccer, and they've enjoyed a lot of success with that approach, but their last game was a disappointing 0-2 home defeat to Viking FK.
Recent results
- Brann had won 2-1 against Lincoln Red Imps in the UEFA Conference League, and their form coming into this one reads three wins and two defeats in the last five.
- A solid run of five wins, one draw and four defeats in the previous 10 games shows that they're a quality side, but capable of the occasional slip-up.
Key player
Kristall Mani Ingason has been their spark, scoring two of their five goals in the past five matches, so he'll be the man to mark on Thursday.
Kauno have the edge
There's no legacy to this game, so we can ignore the head-to-head history and focus on the football being played in Europe.
Brann are clearly the more impressive side overall, but this matchup does give the edge to Kauno, as the hosts are much better suited to their environment and will be looking to make life difficult for their opponents.
The goals line definitely slopes upwards here, with over 2.5 goals currently priced at 1.84, but we're happy to take Kauno to win at 4.25 in the moneyline bet.
BTTS No is also in the area of interest at 2.04, as we think that Kauno can stop Brann from landing a clean punch.
