Panevezys will face Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League third-round qualifying tie on Thursday. The match will take place at Vilniaus LFF Stadium instead of Panevezys’ Aukstaitija Stadium.
In the first leg, Panevezys suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat, followed by a 3-1 loss in the second leg in Poland, which led to their demotion to Europa League qualifying. Despite the disappointment of dropping down, Panevezys is just two ties away from potentially making history by reaching the main draw of a European competition for the first time.
Panevezys has been struggling, with a winless streak of five competitive matches. The reigning A Lyga champions are currently at the bottom of the Lithuanian top flight, a far cry from their title-winning form last season.
On the other hand, Maccabi Tel Aviv had a promising start to the 2024-25 campaign, winning the Israel Super Cup with a 2-0 victory over Maccabi Petah Tikva. However, their Champions League qualifying tie against FCSB ended in disappointment, with a 1-1 draw in Romania followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat in the second leg after a 90th-minute goal from William Baeten.
Maccabi will be looking to capitalize on their recent away form in European competition, as they have not suffered a defeat in their last four matches on the road.
Maccabi Tel Aviv players posed for a team photo before the match on March 14, 2024:
[image: Maccabi Tel Aviv team group photo]
© Reuters
