- Hajduk Split are the clear 1.42 favorites ahead of this game, with Zalgiris Vilnius 7.44.
- Zalgiris Vilnius have won 3 of their last 5, including a 7-2 home thrashing of Dinamo Tbilisi and a 2-3 win at FC Hegelmann Litauen Kaunas.
Home advantage a big factor in Split
HNK Hajduk Split host Lithuanian side FK Zalgiris Vilnius in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 tie on Thursday, knowing that a repeat of the 5-2 demolition job away from home will seal the deal.
Gonzalo Garcia's men are the heavy favourites to progress after that first leg result and they should be so, given their quality, home advantage and perfect home record in this European campaign so far (4 wins from 4 in all competitions). Hajduk have scored an average of 3.25 goals per game on their own turf and have only conceded 1.00, which would suggest that this tie is all but over.
However, Zalgiris boss Andrius Skerla, who has done a superb job since his appointment as coach on 15 April 2026, looks to have his side well organised ahead of the return leg at Stadion Poljud. The visitors will set up compact and are more comfortable defending deep than going forward, so the onus will be on Hajduk to unlock them with their pressing game and smart play on the ball.
Zalgiris’ forwards can hit the spot in Croatia
Skerla's men will keep it simple and favor low-risk transitions. They are in good form and better value in the bookmakers than the odds suggest, given that they have won 6 of their last 10 in all competitions (D1, L3). This is a game for Hajduk to edge as they have the extra quality and momentum from the first-leg win, but Zalgiris will get chances to score given their recent away form (W3, D1, L2) and 9 goals scored in their last 6 trips. So, taking the home side to edge it and both teams to score looks a smart approach at a touch of odds against, with BTTS-Yes at 1.7 and Over 2.5 goals at 1.5, while we'll take the visitors to nick a goal on the counterattack. Michele Sego (S) is Hajduk's main goal threat in UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 with 2 goals in 1 game, while he also has 3 of his team's 9 goals in their last 5. Nikola Petkovic (Z) has bagged 6 times in 5 UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 games and also has 7 goals in his team's 5-game surge.
