Hajduk Split vs Zalgiris Vilnius: Hajduk aim to protect 5-2 lead
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HNK Hajduk Split welcome FK Zalgiris Vilnius to their Stadion Poljud home in Split on 13 August 2026 for the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round. The Croatian side carry a 5-2 advantage from a dramatic first leg in Vilnius, leaving them on the brink of the playoff round.
Team News and Injury Latest
Zalgiris travel without forward Roko Brajković, who remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament tear. His absence puts more pressure on top scorers Nikola Petković (5 goals this season) and Stanislav Bilenkyi (4 goals, 1 assist) to find the early strikes that could spark an unlikely comeback. Hajduk boss Gonzalo Garcia has a fully fit squad and is expected to name captain Marko Livaja in attack after the talisman featured prominently in the first-leg rout. Lovre Silić is likely to start in goal, with Dario Melnjak providing width from the left.
Hajduk Split Form Guide
Before the first leg, Hajduk’s recent run was mixed (L-L-W-L-W), but the 5-2 victory in Lithuania injected fresh momentum. Defensively, Garcia’s side have conceded just 0.8 goals per game on average this season, a solid platform that should make a three-goal collapse highly improbable. At Stadion Poljud, the atmosphere and the aggregate cushion give Hajduk a comfortable edge.
Zalgiris Vilnius Form Guide
Zalgiris entered the tie in a rich vein of domestic form (W-W-L-W-W) and averaging 3.0 goals per game over that spell. However, the five goals shipped in the first leg exposed a defence that has now conceded 1.6 goals per game across their last five outings. Head coach Andrius Skerla will demand a much tighter display, but even a clean sheet would not be enough without a huge attacking output.
Key Battle: Hajduk’s Backline vs. Bilenkyi and Petković
The Lithuanian outfit’s hopes rest on the shoulders of Bilenkyi and Petković, who have combined for nine goals across all competitions. Early pressure and a quick breakthrough are essential if the tie is to become competitive. Hajduk’s central defenders, likely to include Dino Maresić, will need to stay concentrated against an attack that showed flashes of danger even in the first-leg defeat.
Hajduk stand one composed home performance away from the Conference League playoff round, where a place in the group stage would be the prize. For Zalgiris, overturning a three-goal deficit in Split would require a historic away night.
