Match Overview

The fifth-round match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament between the national teams of Lithuania and Malta is scheduled for September 4th at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas. This encounter presents an intriguing fixture for analysis, with a detailed prediction, betting odds, and key statistics provided.

Lithuania’s Qualification Journey

Edgaras Jankauskas’s squad has yet to secure a victory in the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Their campaign began with a narrow 0-1 away defeat to Poland. Following this, the Lithuanians have managed two draws: a 2-2 home stalemate against Finland and a goalless draw away to Malta. Notably, Lithuania’s matches in this qualification cycle have been characterized by low scoring, averaging just 1.7 goals per game.

Key Statistics for Lithuania

• The national team’s winless streak in World Cup qualifiers now stands at five matches (two draws, three losses).
• In 6 of Lithuania’s last 8 matches in this tournament, at least one team failed to score.
• Lithuania has secured only one victory in their last eight home World Cup qualifying matches (one draw, six losses).

Expected Lithuania Starting XI (4-4-2)

Edvinas Gertmonas – Vilius Armalas, Artemijus Tutyškinas, Rokas Lekiatas, Edvinas Girdvainis – Domantas Antanavičius, Gvidis Gineitis, Eligijus Jankauskas, Artur Dolzhnikov – Gytis Paulauskas, Romualdas Jansonas.

Malta’s Campaign Status

As anticipated, the island nation’s team currently occupies the bottom spot in Group G. After four rounds, Malta has accumulated only one point, which came from their previous encounter with Lithuania (a 0-0 draw). In their other three fixtures, the Maltese suffered defeats, failing to score. A particularly notable result was their emphatic 0-8 away loss to the Netherlands in their last match.

Key Statistics for Malta

• Malta’s winless streak in World Cup qualifiers extends to ten matches (two draws, eight losses).
• In 10 of Malta’s last 12 tournament games, at least one team did not score.
• The Maltese have failed to score in 11 of their last 13 away World Cup qualifying matches.

Expected Malta Starting XI (3-5-2)

Henri Bonello – Myles Beerman, Zach Muscat, Enrico Pepe – Adam Magri Overend, Joseph Mbong, Alex Satariano, Ryan Camenzuli, Yannick Yankam – Jody Jones, Paul Mbong.

Team News

Midfielder Matthew Guillaumier will be unavailable due to suspension.

Match Referee

Georgiy Kruashvili (Georgia)

Matches officiated – 12 (International fixtures, 2024/25–2025/26);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 42;

Average yellow cards per match – 3.5;

Red cards shown – 2;

Average fouls per match – 22;

Penalties awarded – 0%.

Match Prediction Analysis

Neither opponent was initially considered a contender for advancing from the group to the World Cup finals. Both teams display significant weaknesses in attack, having collectively earned only 3 points and scored just 2 goals. Malta is predictably struggling in the qualifiers, with their only realistic chance of gaining points being against the Baltic side. Notably, even on home turf, the islanders failed to score against their current opponent.

I anticipate a low-scoring affair. Should any goals be netted, they are likely to come from the home side. In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, these two teams were also drawn together, with Lithuania securing a 2-0 home victory against Malta. It appears probable that the visitors will once again fail to register a goal. Furthermore, after four matchdays, Malta still has not scored a single goal in this campaign.

Final Betting Tip

My prediction is ‘Malta Individual Total Under 0.5’ goals, with odds of 2.04