Kaunas undeterred by size of task

By Pavel Gognidze and John Atkin

FBK Kaunas will be hoping for continued European success against UEFA Champions League holders Liverpool FC tonight.

Emphatic victory
Almost certain to relinquish their five-year grip on the Lithuanian title this season, Kaunas have reserved their best form for UEFA's premier club competition. Andrius Velicka, Arturas Rimkevicius and Irmantas Zelmikas were all among the goals in the first qualifying round as they eased to an emphatic 8-2 aggregate victory against Faroese champions HB Tórshavn.

Domestic disappointment
But that success was in stark contrast to their domestic toils where a campaign marked by inconsistency has seen them concede a 15-point deficit to leaders FK Ekranas. The run has also led to question marks over the future of Russian coach Aleksandr Piskariov, even though he only replaced Valdas Ivanauskas in May.

Counterattacking chance
Kaunas president Gintaras Ugianskis has given Piskariov his backing, though, and the coach is keen to repay that loyalty. "Of course, we're not getting ahead of ourselves," he said, "but we will not surrender before the start of the match. The most important thing for us is to contain Liverpool's quick strikers and if we do that, I fancy our chances on the counterattack."

Petrenko arrival
Ugianskis's support has been financial as well, with Piskariov able to bring in Vadim Petrenko from FK Žalgiris Vilnius. The experienced holding midfielder could make his debut this evening, especially after Georgian midfielder Givi Kvaratskhelia was surprising released last week.

Liverpool debutants
The game could also see Liverpool players donning the red shirt for the first time as Peter Crouch and Mohamed Sissoko are both likely to feature. Standing at 198cms, €10.1m recruit Crouch will pose the Kaunas defence more problems with his height than his pace, but the hosts can take heart from the fact they have conceded just five goals in their last six Champions League matches.

Gerrard goals
Liverpool scored six in the previous round against Total Network Solutions FC, captain Steven Gerrard registering five, but the English club are not underestimating their opponents. "They scored eight goals over two legs in the first qualifying round so their strikers certainly know where the back of the net is," said defender Steve Finnan – a doubt with illness tonight.

Away form
"We'll definitely have to be on our guard but we've already kept a few clean sheets this summer and we're confident of doing the same again." Having conceded just three in their last seven away games, a goalless draw would not augur too badly for Kaunas either.