Cyprus vs Kosovo prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League C betting tips on match 2024-09-08 16:00.
[p]After getting their UEFA Nations League (UNL) campaign off to the perfect start, Cyprus fans are daring to dream. The island nation have been an ever-present in League C of the competition, but a 1-0 victory over Lithuania on Friday has raised hope amongst their supporters that their country could pull off something special and make it to the second tier.[/p]
[p]That result lifted some of the pressure on manager Temur Ketsbaia, who had won just four of his previous 18 matches at the helm (D4, L10). It also means Cyprus have won back-to-back matches for the first time since 2019, and their UNL history suggests a third success could be on the way, given they have only been beaten in one of their last five UNL home matches (W3, D1).[/p]
[p]However, that defeat did come two years ago against Kosovo, meaning the side from the Balkans have been successful in the two all-time H2Hs. The Dardanians will be desperate to rekindle that kind of form after going down 3-0 at the hands of Group C3’s highest ranked team, Romania, on Friday, as their UNL campaign got off to the worst possible start. [/p]
[p]That result puts a dent in Franco Foda’s plans to end their three-tournament stint in the third tier, after the manager boldly claimed pre-match that his aim is to “be the first in the group.” It was also the latest in a string of worrying results for Kosovo, who have now lost four of their last five internationals (W1), with each defeat seeing them fail to get on the scoresheet. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Marinos Tzionis has scored two previous international goals for Cyprus, both of which came at home in the UNL and served as the opening strike of the match in a winning cause. Fighting him for the limelight will be a familiar foe in Vedat Muriqi, who netted a brace when Kosovo beat Cyprus 5-1 in 2022, while he has scored more goals in the UNL than any other international competition, eight in just 15 appearances.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Eight of the last nine UNL goals that Kosovo have conceded have come after half-time.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matt Jones[/i][/p]