Lithuania vs Malta prediction 04.09.2025 | World Cup 2026 Qualification

Lithuania’s campaign has started in unconvincing fashion, with just two points from their opening three matches. They lost narrowly to Poland in the opener (1-0), then picked up their first point in a 2-2 home draw against Finland. Their most recent outing produced another frustrating result, as they failed to break down Malta’s compact defence in a 0-0 stalemate.

Head coach Edgaras Jankauskas faces further challenges with a depleted squad. Striker Armandas Kučys, who scored against Finland, is unavailable, while centre-back Kipras Kazukolovas is also sidelined through injury.

Malta’s qualifying journey has been equally bleak. Emilio De Leo’s side have lost three of their four fixtures and are yet to score a single goal. A 1-0 defeat to Finland on the opening matchday — in which Kurt Shaw was sent off — was followed by a 2-0 loss away to Poland, with another red card leaving them short-handed. They then managed to earn a point in the reverse fixture against Lithuania, before suffering an 8-0 thrashing at the hands of the Netherlands, a result that has badly dented their confidence.

There is some good news for the visitors: Kurt Shaw and Ylyas Chouaref are both available again after serving suspensions from their earlier red cards.