- 1 Besiktas vs Kauno Zalgiris: standing firm against the Lithuanian champions
- 2 Besiktas: a rebuilt squad and only one competitive game to knit it together
- 3 Kauno Zalgiris: two rounds gone, and a historic qualification already secured
- 4 Football Prediction Besiktas vs Kauno Zalgiris
- 5 Before anything else, a word on our free tips
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information that moves
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals…
Besiktas vs Kauno Zalgiris: standing firm against the Lithuanian champions 
Besiktas finished the 2025-26 season in third place in the Super Lig, behind Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor. That finish triggered a full overhaul of the club’s sporting project this summer.
The first leg of this Europa League play-off is on Thursday 20 August at 20:00 Turkish time at the Tupras Stadium in Istanbul. The return leg is set for 27 August in Kaunas.
The Istanbul club appointed Italiano on the bench during the 2026 close season and brought in four major signings. Ouattara, Nubel, Trossard and Vlahovic all arrived in the summer window.
The new era began with a 1-0 win over Eyupspor in the league. Just one goal to open the campaign, but three points in the bag.
Across the field, Kauno Zalgiris are enjoying the best summer in their history. The Lithuanian champions have knocked out Drita Gjilan, the Kosovo holders, then KÍ Klaksvik on aggregate in Champions League qualifying.
The third round brought that run to a halt against Dinamo Zagreb, met at Maksimir on 4 August. The Lithuanian side dropped into the Europa League play-off, already guaranteed a place in the league phase of a European competition for the first time.
There is a huge gap in resources between the two sides, but the picture is a little more complicated than that. Besiktas have had a major summer rebuild and have only one competitive match under their belt to get the gears turning.
Whoever wins this two-legged tie will reach the Europa League league phase. For Besiktas, that is the minimum target after their summer business.
Besiktas: a rebuilt squad and only one competitive game to knit it together 
Last season’s third-place finish in the Super Lig was not seen as good enough inside the club. Ending up behind Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor brought a change in coach.
Italiano was brought in this summer with a clear brief: lift standards. His style is built on high pressing and a wide spread of the pitch, and that takes time to bed in.
The 2026 summer window delivered four high-profile arrivals: Ouattara, Nubel, Trossard and Vlahovic. A new goalkeeper and proven attackers change the spine of the team across the pitch.
The first official test ended in a 1-0 win over Eyupspor. The result was positive enough, but a one-goal margin against mid-table opposition raises questions about the immediate attacking output.
Vlahovic is exactly the kind of signing the hierarchy hope will solve that problem. His presence through the middle gives Besiktas the focal point they were missing last season.
Playing at the Tupras Stadium is still a major advantage in this kind of tie. The Istanbul club know the job is often decided by the lead they build at home.
The Turkish calendar is offering no breathing space for the new coach. The league has restarted and the European matches have landed straight on top of it.
Nubel also brings a level of certainty in a position that has long been unstable in Istanbul. His presence between the posts changes how high the team can push the defensive line.
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Kauno Zalgiris: two rounds gone, and a historic qualification already secured 
Kauno Zalgiris have produced the best European run in their history. The Lithuanian champions have sent out Drita Gjilan and then KÍ Klaksvik in Champions League qualifying.
The second-round tie against the Faroese side was settled 1-0 on aggregate. One goal across 180 minutes says it all: maximum defensive discipline and just enough cutting edge.
That progress has a big consequence for the club. Kauno Zalgiris are already guaranteed a place in the league phase of a European competition, a first in their history.
The third round, though, exposed the ceiling of this group. Dinamo Zagreb, encountered at Maksimir on 4 August, ended the Champions League run.
Going from a Faroese side to a Croatian club and then to Besiktas is a massive step up in a matter of weeks. The pace of the Lithuanian league does not prepare a team for this level of intensity.
With no pressure and a league phase already banked, the Lithuanians head into Besiktas with nothing to lose. The shape is likely to stay the same: deep block, narrow central areas and the occasional counter.
The club play home matches at the Darius and Girenas Stadium in Kaunas, the biggest stadium in the Baltic states. The return on 27 August will be staged there in a setting unlike anything these players have known.
Winning the 2025 national title, the first in the club’s history, kicked off this run. Kauno Zalgiris are learning this level on the fly with a squad that has no real reference point for it.
Expected Besiktas line-up: Not announced at time of publication.
Expected Kauno Zalgiris line-up: Not announced at time of publication.
Football Prediction Besiktas vs Kauno Zalgiris
Our prediction: Besiktas to win with a -1.5 handicap
Besiktas have signed Ouattara, Nubel, Trossard and Vlahovic in this summer window, an outlay that is on another level compared with the Lithuanian champions. The Istanbul club are playing at home for a place in the league phase, and they see that as the bare minimum.
Kauno Zalgiris have scored just one goal across their two matches against KÍ Klaksvik and have just been knocked out by Dinamo Zagreb. A team producing so little going forward, and with nothing left to protect in the table, rarely manages to hang on to a narrow away result.
Besiktas should win by at least two goals at the Tupras Stadium.
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