Cyprus vs Scotland prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-09-07 18:45.
It’s a familiar sorry tale for Cyprus, who remain as distant as ever from a maiden appearance in a major international competition after three UEFA European Championship qualification (ECQ) defeats from as many games in the Euro 2024 edition. While they aren’t alone in that regard, their losing streak in ECQ games now stands at six, which alarmingly includes four instances of them conceding 3+ goals.
Going even further back – while bringing FIFA World Cup qualification results to the fore as well – Cyprus have taken just five points from the last 48 available in any major tournament qualifier! (W1, D2, L13). And just when Cypriots didn’t think it could get any worse, they haven’t beaten a side currently in FIFA’s top-30 in a competitive match (inside 90 minutes) since September 1998!
In the years following that landmark result, opponents Scotland doubled the tally of wins (from four to eight) that make up their perfect all-time H2H record against Cyprus. Within that record, both of the Tartan Army’s previous trips to Cyprus this century have seen them narrowly win 2-1, but this ECQ group’s reverse clash was nowhere near as close, with Scotland easing to a 3-0 victory in March, after Scott McTominay netted a late brace.
At present, it seems as though only Spain – with two games in hand over Scotland – can realistically threaten Scotland’s chances of topping Group A. Yet, the possibility of the Scots completing a perfect qualification group stage for the first time ever (after 33 failed attempts spanning more than seven decades!) means that they will not take this test lightly.
Players to watch: Ioannis Pittas gave Cyprus parity from the spot in their most recent ECQ home game back in June (L 1-2 vs Georgia) – it was his third international goal, and he’s been a decisive scorer for his nation as recently as March 2021. As far as candidates to upstage him go, however, Scotland midfielder John McGinn is quite high up the list, having netted the winning goal in each of the previous two H2Hs.
Hot stat: Scotland have led 1-0 at the break in three of their four ECQ matches played this year.