- Drita won 7 of their last 10 matches in all competitions, losing only twice.
- Kaunas are unbeaten in four of their last five away games in all competitions, winning once and drawing three times.
- Drita conceded four goals in their last seven home games, in all competitions.
Drita can draw Kaunas into a trap
FC Drita Gjilan are in great shape coming into the home second leg against FK Zalgiris Kaunas on Tuesday, and they look the more likely to edge a place into the next round of UEFA Champions League qualification 2026.
Blerim Krasniqi, with one goal in one appearance in UEFA Champions League Qualification, has been Drita's sharpest player in Europe so far, scoring in last week's first-leg clash.
Their general approach of playing vertically from a compact mid-block, can be effective against sides who like to play a possession-based game, which Kaunas have leaned towards since Željko Sopić took over.
Kaunas are a more structured, and perhaps more pragmatic, proposition than they were a few years ago, when they were the most free-flowing side in Lithuania, but they can still be caught when they get caught out in transition.
In Amine Benchaib, who also has one goal in UEFA Champions League Qualification, they have a player who can be their sharpest finisher, and they'll need him to be that against Drita on Tuesday.
Drita can hold Kaunas out
Kaunas have been in frustrating form recently, picking up back-to-back draws against FK Dziugas Telsiai and Drita, and winning just once in their last five. This is a tricky tie, which the 1-1 draw seems to indicate.
At Gjilan City Stadium, Drita have won six and lost only one of their last seven in all competitions, and they will come at Kaunas with a style that is direct, rather than possession-based, and full of the quick transitions and wide support that can finish teams off with the ball in their own half.
Sopić has given Kaunas a more possession-based approach, with more of an emphasis on combinations in the midfield to try and slow the game down and get their opponents out of shape.
These two styles seem like a good fit for a cagey tie, and with Drita's home edge, our fancy is for the hosts to nick this one, and perhaps the best bet is to take Under 2.5 goals at 13/25, with Both Teams to Score no at 67/100.
