Preview: Kauno Zalgiris vs Dinamo Zagreb - prediction, team news, lineups

Kauno Zalgiris face a monumental task on Tuesday as they welcome Dinamo Zagreb to Lithuania for the second leg of their Champions League third qualifying-round tie.

The visitors ran riot in the Croatian capital last week, securing a 5-0 victory to leave the hosts needing a remarkable comeback if they are to keep their hopes of reaching the Champions League league phase alive.

Match preview

With this being Kauno Zalgiris' sixth and, most likely, final Champions League encounter of the campaign, the Lithuanian outfit will be looking to bow out without further damage to their aggregate score before turning their attention to the Europa League.

Following Tuesday's clash and barring a complete footballing miracle, Zeljko Sopic's side will enter a Europa League playoff tie, meaning they would be potentially two games away from reaching the league phase and, should they qualify, would have played eight European qualifiers this season.

Although they headed to Zagreb in strong domestic and continental form, having avoided defeat in their previous nine matches and sitting top of the TOPLYGA table, their hopes of reaching the Champions League league phase were all but extinguished within 90 minutes as they suffered a dismal 5-0 defeat, with the Green-Whites registering just two shots on the Citizens' goal.

The defeat was the first time they had conceded five goals in a match since September 2024, coming as a major surprise given Sopic's men had conceded just 15 goals in 21 league outings this season, earning a clean sheet in nearly every other game.

One glimmer of hope for the Kaunas-based side may be the fact that they have scored 40 goals in that time, seven more than the next-best record in the Lithuanian top flight, although even that impressive attacking record may not be enough to force a turnaround in this tie.

They did, however, return to winning ways at the weekend, with Kauno Zalgiris beating struggling Hegelmann 2-0 thanks to goals from Leo Ribeiro and Motiejus Burba, a result which moved them two points clear of second place and one step closer to winning the league for the second year in a row.

As for Dinamo Zagreb, they make the 800-mile journey northeast to Kaunas with progression to the league phase all but secured, knowing their only real task is to avoid an extraordinary Champions League collapse.

Mario Kovacevic's men continued their unbeaten start to the 2026-27 season continued thanks to goals from Miha Zajc, Scott McKenna, Mateo Lisica, Luka Stojkovic and Lukas Kacavenda.

The Citizens are still in the early stages of their campaign, unlike Kauno Zalgiris, having seen off Swiss side Thun 4-3 on aggregate before opening their Croatian Football League season with a 2-0 victory over Slaven.

Dinamo claimed their 26th league title last season to further cement themselves as Croatia's most successful club, and with UEFA coefficient rules allowing them to enter the Champions League qualifying process in the second round, Kovacevic's side will now be targeting back-to-back domestic titles.

While they will be wary of Kauno Zalgiris' lethal attack, they can take confidence from their strong defensive unit, which they will expect to help them over the line on Tuesday night.

The side based in the Croatian capital have kept clean sheets in 50% of their games so far in the 2026-27 campaign and conceded just 28 times in 36 league meetings last season, the best in the division with the next-best defensive record seeing eight more goals conceded.

Kauno Zalgiris form (Champions Leaague):

Kauno Zalgiris form (all competitions):

Dinamo Zagreb Champions League form:

Dinamo Zagreb form (all competitions):

Team News

With the tie already dead and buried, there is a chance Sopic will rest some of his key players with the business end of the domestic league still to come.

Captain Tomas Svedkauskas is expected to remain in goal, while there may also be starts for Yukiyoshi Karashima and Burba, with the latter not featuring in Croatia last week but scoring and assisting in their latest league win.

Dinamo Zagreb arrive on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea in a position where they could rest a number of players, with an upcoming league game against Rudes to come a few days after their Champions League tie.

Former Nottingham Forest defender McKenna scored the second of their five goals last week and is expected to remain in the back four, while Kacavenda came off the bench to complete the rout and may be rewarded with a start.

They do, however, remain without Aleks Stojakovic, who has missed the last month of action through injury and is not expected to play a part on Tuesday night.

Kauno Zalgiris possible starting lineup:

Svedkauskas; Moutachy, Tolordava, Lekiatas, Konatar; Krekovic, Baldassarra, Karashima, Burba; Benchaib, Oliveira

Dinamo Zagreb possible starting lineup:

Filipovic; Valincic, Dominguez, McKenna, Vinlof; Stojkovic, Misic, Zajc; Lisica, Beljo, Hoxha

We say: Kauno Zalgiris 1-3 Dinamo Zagreb (8-1 aggregate)

Not only do the visitors enter the final game of their qualifying campaign with a more than healthy lead, but they also arrive with a fresh squad after not playing since their 5-0 victory over Kauno Zalgiris.

With a longer break behind them and a surely unassailable advantage, we expect Dinamo Zagreb to cruise to victory and reach the league phase of the Champions League following a poor time of it in the Europa League last season.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.