At 7 PM in Vilnius, Hajduk faces Žalgiris hoping to end a dismal run of away European results. The third qualifying round match of the Conference League will be officiated by Dutch referee Nagtegaal.
The official lineups for the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Conference League between Lithuania's Žalgiris and Hajduk, played on August 6, 2026, at the LFF Stadium in Vilnius, have been released. Hajduk coach Gonzalo Garcia has decided to shuffle the deck compared to recent matches, with the biggest surprise being Marko Livaja's absence from the starting eleven; he will begin the match on the bench.
Hajduk will take the field in the following lineup: Silić - Acapandie, Marešić, Van Hoorenbeeck, Hrgović - Pukštas, Pajaziti - Bamba, Dalisson, Šotiček - Šego. As anticipated, young Marin Šotiček gets his chance from the first minute, marking only his second appearance for the Whites. At the top of the attack, Michele Šego replaces Livaja, while Dalisson will operate as the playmaker.
Home side Žalgiris, led from the bench by a Lithuanian tactician, will line up as follows: Sarkauskas - Šešplaukis, Lupano, Bosančić, Franke - Litvijenko, Kendysh - Golubisckas, Bilenkyi, Teixeira - Petković. The main referee for the match is Marc Nagtegaal from the Netherlands.
In Vilnius, Hajduk aims to end a long run without an away win in European competitions. The last time the Split side celebrated was in September 2020, when Mijo Caktaš scored against Renova in North Macedonia for a 1-0 final score. Six summers have passed since then, and the Whites have suffered numerous shocks on the road, including last week's elimination from the Europa League by Cypriot side Pafos after 120 minutes of play.
Coach Garcia is well aware of the importance of halting this negative trend. "When it goes on for years, it becomes harder and harder, until you break that streak; I hope we'll put a stop to it," he stated at the pre-match press conference.
Žalgiris advanced to the third qualifying round after a real rollercoaster of results against Dinamo Tbilisi. They lost the first leg convincingly 3-0, only to win the return leg at home by a staggering 7-2 and secure progression. This is a team that, in terms of quality, is weaker than the one that previously conceded five goals to Dinamo Zagreb, but the artificial turf at the LFF Stadium could pose an additional challenge.
The winner of this two-legged tie will face the better side from the matchup between Poland's Raków and Sweden's Hammarby in the play-off round. The match will be broadcast on Hajduk Digital TV, with live text coverage available on the Slobodna Dalmacija portal.
