Montenegro host Lithuania on Thursday, with the visitors going into the tie as the clear underdogs. Having said that, the two sides played in an entertaining, end-to-end 2-2 draw in September.
Montenegro
Miodrag Radulovic's team currently sit in third place after six matches in Group G. They have collected eight points, boasting a record of two wins, draws and losses. Montenegro have a game in hand and are only five points behind Serbia, therefore a win this week will put immense pressure on second place. Unfortunately, the Hrabri Sokoli have only beat Bulgaria in qualifying, which is due to their poor attacking record of one goal scored per game on average. However, they are rather solid defensively, conceding only eight times thus far.
last time out, Montenegro were pulled apart by a strong Serbia side, who dominated the second-half of the tie. Stevan Jovetic equalised ten minutes before the break, but the quality in the Serbian side prevailed after the break and they eventually won 3-1.
Lithuania
Lithuania have never qualified for a World Cup or a European championship, and that unfortunately looks likely to continue to remain true. After seven matches, they are placed in fourth, winning only once and picking up six points. Pijus Sirvys is the top scorer of his national side in qualifying, netting three goals in his last two matches. Two of them have come from corners, with set pieces being an attacking focus. Lithuania have also only failed to score in two matches, but they have been the leakiest side in Group G, conceding 12 times.
However they have been a difficult side to face in recent matches, beating Bulgaria 2-0 on the road and holding group leaders Hungary to a 2-2 draw last time out. Edgaras Jankauskas' side took a surprise two goal lead before half time, but the quality of Dominik Szoboszlai rescued his side a point. A disappointing yet positive result.
Verdict?
Montenegro and Lithuania both have to win this game, which should set the tie up to be a cagey, feisty encounter. They are both in similar form and the visitors will fancy their chances of causing an upset. Lithuania are priced at 8/1 to win the tie and 1/1 to score a goal, whereas Montenegro are 3/10 to win.
The final prediction is Montenegro 2-1 Lithuania.
