Cyprus vs Romania prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League C betting tips on match 2024-10-11 18:45.
[p]After several years of employing foreign first team managers with little fortune, Cyprus decided to return home so to speak. An embarrassing 4-0 UEFA Nations League C loss at home to Kosovo prompted the FA to dismiss Temur Ketsbaia and elevate long-time domestic league boss Sofronios Avgousti into the position on a two-year contract. Hailed by the FA as “the most successful Cypriot coach in recent years”, Avgousti was pried out of a new club position that he held for just four competitive matches. [/p]
[p]If home performances are the foundation of overall success, Avgousti has a lot of work ahead of him to put it bluntly. That’s due to the fact that Cyprus are on a five-game losing streak in competitive football at home, conceding a hefty 3+ goals in each of the last four, though a 1-0 Nations League C win away to Lithuania on matchday one means that they still remain in a strong position to fight for second place.[/p]
[p]The major disadvantage is still having to take on group favourites Romania twice. Romania were most convincing in the opening Nations League C window in September, scoring in all four halves of football to put three goals past both Kosovo (3-0) and Lithuania (3-1). That marked the successful return of 79-year-old manager Mircea Lucescu to the national team, four decades after he led Romania to their first European Championships. [/p]
[p]Lucescu harbours ambitions to become the oldest World Cup coach in two years’ time and he looks well on the way to returning them back to Nations League B, where they spent the two previous cycles. Thanks to last month’s result and their undefeated Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, Romania are now unbeaten in seven straight qualifying matches (all tournaments) away from home (W3, D4) and when coupled with Cyprus’ troubles at home, look to be the ones who hold the advantage here as such.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Cyprus’ Grigoris Kastanos immediately put the last Nations League window behind him by scoring or assisting in his first two Serie A games for Verona thereafter. Răzvan Marin slotted home penalty kicks in each of Romania’s two wins last month before scoring from open play off the bench in his most recent game for Cagliari.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: 12 of Cyprus’ 15 losses since 2022 were accompanied by a 2+ goal margin. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]