- Dinamo Tbilisi should hold up well in Tbilisi.
- FK Zalgiris Vilnius enter this game on the back of three straight wins, scoring eight goals in that run.
- Dinamo Tbilisi are 3-1-1 at home in all competitions, conceding six goals in five fixtures.
Tbilisi tough to take in Conference League
Dinamo Tbilisi, 19/25, are a bit low for a home win in the return leg of this UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 match against FK Zalgiris Vilnius, the visitors being 393/100 and the draw 53/20.
Dinamo have a much better record and have mixed recent form, but the visitors enter this clash on a three-game winning run and are clearly not coming to Georgia just to make up the numbers.
The bookmakers clearly have a lot more faith in Dinamo to take this one than I do, although the odds do look fair if they can simply replicate the performance they produced in the first leg.
Dynamic duo in charge
Temuri Ketsbaia has done a great job since taking over as coach of Dinamo on 24 April 2026, bringing experience and pragmatism to a team that was possession-heavy. He has a similar role to his counterpart Andrius Skerla, who has taken the helm at Žalgiris on 15 April 2026 and has really shaped them into a compact, well-organised unit built on balance, defensive stability. Žalgiris' away record of 3-1-2 in all competitions this season doesn't look overly impressive until you realise they have shipped only five goals in six away games, which is a measure of how compact and stingy they are. They have had one slip-up in their last ten at 6-1-3 across all comps, so they will have a good chance to keep this qualifying tie tight.
A question of access
Dinamo will take the game to Žalgiris and try to dominate possession and the wide channels with their style of play and in transition, while the Lithuanians will sit deep and try to snuff out central access. So the wide areas will be where Thursday's game is won and lost, in my opinion.
This feels like a match where a Dinamo result is most likely, but not a sure thing given Žalgiris' great momentum. The draw will still be in the picture if they can hold firm, but if they can't, then a home win may be the way to go.
Hot hands
Nikola Petkovic has been FK Zalgiris' hot hand of late with three goals in two UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026 games, while Algassime Bah has been Dinamo's primary danger man in the competition with one goal in two games. He also tends to turn up in the box.
Žalgiris's last three results suggest they are finding the right formula, a 3-0 away win at Siauliai FA, a 3-1 away win at OFK Petrovac and a 2-1 home victory over the same Montenegrin outfit. Their recent form in all comps includes a three-match winning streak and a 6-1-3 record across their last ten, which is solid enough to suggest they can get another positive result here.
