The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Jankauskas ready to stun Scotland for a second time
Edgaras Jankauskas is adamant Lithuania’s shock draw at Hampden proves they can stun Scotland again.
The Baltic nation claimed a fine 1-1 draw in Glasgow last October, with a late strike from James McArthur required to spare the blushes of Gordon Strachan’s side after Fedor Cernych had given the visitors a surprise lead.
Lithuania boss Jankauskas, who had a spell playing for Hearts between 2005 and 2007, reckons that display should act as a warning to the Scots as the countries prepare to renew hostilities in Vilnius on September 1.
Jankauskas said: “We know what Scotland have already demonstrated in the matches against England and Slovenia – against Scotland, more than any other team, you need to match them for power and dedication. I think our players agree and understand this.
“It will be a real physical battle on the day but, after Glasgow, we will be much more confident.
“The state of the national team is far better now, compared to when I arrived (October 2015).
“We did not immediately demand victories or unrealistic results, but we worked hard to progress – to learn the principles of how I want us to play, and we are seeing those benefits.”
Jankauskas, who named Hibernian duo Vykintas Slivka and Deivydas Matulevicius in his squad this week, is adamant the fact the fixture is already a sell-out underlines the increasing optimism that they can end Scotland’s World Cup dream.
He continued: “The supporters see that we are trying to drive forward and improve.
“The fact that tickets for a match with Scotland have already been bought shows that supporters believe in us.”
Following the Vilnius clash, Scotland host Malta on September 4 and Lithuania host Slovenia on the same night.