Brighton vs Kauno Zalgiris Preview
Brighton look in great shape and have comfortably beaten some top sides this season. Kauno Zalgiris face a tough test at the Amex and a home win with goals is predicted.
4 Brighton Wins in a Row
- Brighton have won their last 4 matches.
- Brighton have seen over 4.5 goals in 3 of their last 6 games.
- Kauno Zalgiris have lost their last 2 European away matches.
H2H
This will be the first-ever meeting between Brighton and Kauno Zalgiris.
Brighton Flying High in 2026/27
Brighton have started the new campaign in electric form and have won eight of their last 11 in all competitions.
The Premier League outfit qualified for the Conference League group stage following a 4-0 aggregate win against Tromso. Brighton drew 0-0 away in the first leg and won 4-0 at the Amex, attempting 21 shots.
The Seagulls are on a four-match winning streak in all competitions and sit third in the 2026/27 Premier League. League wins against Coventry away 5-0 and Arsenal at home 3-0 came either side of a 3-2 cup victory at Man United.
Fabian Huürzeler’s side notched another win on Saturday and beat Sunderland 2-0 away. Maxim De Cuyper and Jaouen Hadjam scored and Brighton had 1.41-0.72 XG.
Kauno Zalgiris Face a Step Up in Quality
Lithuanian side Kauno Zalgiris will play their first-ever European group stage match at Brighton on Thursday.
The Green and Whites were eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers, losing 5-0 away and 2-1 at home to Dinamo Zagreb. They also lost 3-1 on aggregate in the Europa League qualification play-off against Besiktas.
Kauno Zalgiris lost 3-0 at Besiktas in the play-off first leg and followed that defeat with a five-match unbeaten run, scoring 12 goals. A 3-2 defeat at Zalgiris and a 2-0 victory over FA Siauliai came next.
Zeljko Sopic’s outfit won again on Sunday and beat FK Minija 3-0 in the Lithuanian Cup final. Leon Krekovic, Gabriel Debeljuh and Marko Konatar got on the scoresheet and Kauno Zalgiris had seven shots on target.
Predicted Starting Lineups & Team News
Brighton (4-2-3-1): Bart Verbruggen; Ferdi Kadioglu, Luka Vuskovic, Pascal Struijk, Olivier Boscagli; Pascal Gross, Yasin Ayari; Diego Gomez, Chema Andres, Maxim De Cuyper; Charalampos Kostoulas
Attackers Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma, Femi Azeez, Evan Ferguson and Stefanos Tzimas are injured. Defender Mats Wieffer is also unavailable due to a knee problem.
Attacker Zadok Yohanna and midfielder Jack Hinshelwood could return to the squad after recent injuries. Hinshelwood has returned to training recently and is “close” to making a first team comeback.
Kauno Zalgiris (4-3-3): Tomas Svedkauskas; Lirim Kastrati, Rokas Lekiatas, Aldayr Hernandez, Marko Konatar; Amine Benchaib, Anthony Kalik, Vykintas Slivka; Motiejus Burba, Gabriel Debeljuh, Leon Krekovic
Kauno Zalgiris have no injuries or suspensions. Midfielder Amine Benchaib is expected to start after scoring 14 goals in all competitions this season.