Brighton – Kaunas Žalgiris: Preview
We have the forecasts for the encounter between Brighton and Kaunas Žalgiris in the first round of the common phase of the Conference League 2026/27 season.
The Lithuanian champion Kaunas Žalgiris will make its autumn debut in European club competition with an away match against Brighton, who currently occupy third place in the Premier League.
Key points
Brighton
1. Brighton has five consecutive wins
When Brighton secured its entry into the Conference League with the qualifying matches against Norwegian Tromsø (0:0 and 4:0), Fabio Hürceler’s players scored four goals in the next two Premier League games, but managed only one point, losing to Chelsea (3:4) and drawing with Leeds (1:1). However, the “checks” then began their vertical climb. The 5:0 rout of the newly promoted Premier League side Coventry can still be attributed to the opponent’s lack of preparation for the season, but then Brighton consecutively defeated three other English European clubs: Manchester United (3:2 in the League Cup), Arsenal (3:0) and Sunderland (2:0).
2. A squad rotation is suggested
In the return qualifying match against Tromsø, Fabio Hürceler made only two changes to the lineup compared with the previous Premier League match, but it was a more important game, defining all the “checks”’ prospects in the Conference League. This time a wider rotation is expected: the backup goalkeeper Jason Stills will be in goal. On the left of the defense will start Jauhen Adzam, in the centre the Brighton captain Luis Dunk, recovering from injury, and on the right, due to the absence of the injured Mats Viff, Juan Costa will play. The attacking trio will consist of Malik Yalkuie, Jorgeño Rutter and Matt O’Riley.
3. Brighton should not underestimate its opponents
Three of the last four Conference League rounds ended with victories for English teams, so it is not surprising that the sole Premier League representative in the current tournament is considered the main favourite. Kaunas Žalgiris and Jabłoniec from the Czech Republic are, nominally, Brighton’s weakest opponents in the common phase, and the Conference League schedule starts with these two teams. However, underestimating rivals can be dangerous, as demonstrated by Brighton’s debut in the Europa League three years ago, when they lost at home to Greek AEK (2:3).
Kaunas Žalgiris
1. Žalgiris will debut in the main phase of European clubs
The Lithuanian championship title opened the door for Žalgiris in the European season. To achieve this historic feat, it was enough to beat Drita from Kosovo and Klaksvik from the Faroe Islands in a total of two matches, albeit with drama, but Žalgiris fulfilled the task. Unfortunately, access to European clubs with a status higher than the Conference League was first blocked by Dinamo Zagreb (0:5 and 1:2), and then by Turkish Beşiktaş (0:3 and 1:0). In both cases, the home legs were decisive.
2. Žalgiris will play with its optimal squad against Brighton
For the match against Brighton, the Lithuanian side arrives with a very favourable squad situation: the centre‑of‑defence is empty. It is worth noting that since the end of the European qualification, Žalgiris’s first‑team squad has not changed much, except for the right‑back position, where the new summer signing, Croatian Lirim Kastari, has taken the starting spot. This season’s focus will be on the top scorer of the Lithuanian champion, Amun Benchaib, who scored 13 goals in 39 official Žalgiris matches in 2026.
3. Žalgiris will play for the first time against a top‑league club
Kaunas Žalgiris debuted in European clubs in 2019 and since then the Kaunas team has competed against representatives from 12 countries, the most prominent according to the UEFA ranking being Norway (Bude‑Glimt), Poland (Lech) and Turkey (Beşiktaş). It is revealing that the three away matches against these rivals ended for Žalgiris with at least three goals scored and an inevitable defeat. This should alert them well before the first encounter in the club’s history with a team from the big five of European championships.
Approximate line‑ups
4-3-3 4-2-3 1-2-3
Stills 3 Adzam 4 Strjyk 5 Dunk 20 Costa 21 Boscali 13 Gross 14 Andres 35 Yalkuie 33 O’Riley 10 Rutter 55 Svenskuskas 62 Kastari 3 Tolordava 77 Lekytas 33 Konatar 14 Slivka 20 Kalik 7 Benchaib 24 Burba 9 Krejovic 27 Debeluk
Betting trends
No more than four goals were scored in Brighton’s last 16 home matches and in 16 of the last 18 Žalgiris European club matches. TM(4,5) at 1.86.
Žalgiris lost by more than four goals in only two of its 25 European club matches in history. Brighton has never won by a margin of at least five goals in any of its 10 international matches. F2(+4) at 1.71.
Prediction
Brighton vs Kaunas Žalgiris 15.10.2026 23:00
Brighton is having a magnificent season and is in excellent form, achieving four consecutive victories with a total of 13:2. Moreover, three of the four opponents in this luxurious stretch are other English representatives in European clubs, including the current champion Arsenal. Brighton’s only Conference League home qualifying match ended with a 4:0 rout against Norwegian Tromsø.
Kaunas Žalgiris, thanks to the Lithuanian championship title, has entered the Conference League thanks to victories in a total of two matches over the champions of Kosovo and the Faroe Islands. However, the international matches against more serious rivals from Croatia and Turkey resulted in overwhelming home defeats, defining the drop in the hierarchy of European clubs. Žalgiris will face for the first time in its history a top‑league team and the southern England visit does not bode well for the Lithuanians.
Prediction: 4-0
