🔊 Which national team will secure their second victory in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers? Both sides have already fallen significantly behind Bosnia and Herzegovina, and with Austria also in Group H, even competing for second place will be a challenge. In this context, Cyprus shouldn't be considered a contender. On the other hand, more was expected from Romania at the start of the tournament. The situation can still be turned around; they just need to avoid unnecessary point losses. This match presents such an opportunity. Nevertheless, we will explore different scenarios to make a well-founded prediction. It's worth noting that the match will take place at the "National Stadium Bucharest".

Head-to-Head

📊 Over the past 14 years, these opponents have faced off in two official encounters. They were drawn into the same group in the last edition of the UEFA Nations League. Romania first thrashed Cyprus away (3-0) and then repeated their dominance at home with a similar margin (4-1). Notably, three out of the seven goals were scored by Răzvan Marin.

Romania Team Overview

🔵 Romania secured a spot in Euro 2024 and even reached the playoffs, where they fell to the Netherlands in the first round. Following that, they won all their matches in the UEFA Nations League, earning promotion to Division B. This set the stage for a promising performance in the current qualifying cycle. However, in the opening round, they suffered a home defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina (0-1). They conceded early in the 14th minute and spent the rest of the match trying to equalize, but the ball just wouldn't find the back of the net. Romania then confidently dispatched San Marino, although they did concede once (5-1).

🔗 Given the unexpected loss in the first round, their recent clash with Austria was crucial for Romania. However, nothing seemed to go their way in the first half, and Austria deservedly took the lead. An hour into the game, Mircea Lucescu's side conceded again. They managed to pull one back only in stoppage time (1-2).

⭐️ One of Romania's key players is Răzvan Marin. He had a poor outing against Austria and was substituted in the second half. Nonetheless, he's a regular starter who consistently contributes to the team. He particularly shone in the last UEFA Nations League campaign, scoring six goals in six matches. Marin has been plying his trade in Serie A for five years now, featuring for clubs like Empoli and Cagliari.

Cyprus Team Overview

⚪️ The strength of the Cyprus national team is reflected in their lack of points in the Euro 2024 qualifiers. However, they fared better in the UEFA Nations League, where they managed to defeat Lithuania twice and maintain their place in Division C.

🔗 Cyprus had a decent start to the current qualifying cycle. In their opening match, they dominated San Marino but only managed to break the deadlock in the 65th minute. They doubled their lead towards the end (2-0), something Bosnia and Herzegovina, the current group leaders, failed to do. Interestingly, in March, Cyprus nearly took points off Bosnia (1-2) and even outperformed them in expected goals (1.43 to 1.04).

📌 Recently, Cyprus faced Bulgaria in a friendly match. Despite being considered clear underdogs, the game turned out to be evenly matched, not just in scoreline (2-2). The team trailed twice but found ways to level the game each time. Nicolas Koutsakos marked his debut for the national team with a goal. Andreas Siikkis and Antonios Fotis also made their first appearances for Cyprus.

⭐️ The only player from the Cyprus national team competing in a top European league is Grigoris Kastanos. He has spent most of his career in Italy but has never scored more than three goals in a league season. This season, he has just one goal in Serie A for Verona. His scoring record for the national team is also lacking; he hasn't found the net in the current tournament and scored only once in five matches during the UEFA Nations League.

Latest news

Romania

🎙️ Romania's captain Nicolae Stanciu addressed the fans following the defeat to Austria: "As captain, I'm the first to take responsibility for the disappointing result. But at the same time, I'm also the first to say that we will fight until the end for our dream, the dream of everyone—to bring Romania back to the World Cup."

❌ Notably, Nicolae Stanciu will miss the match against Cyprus due to a suspension. He received another yellow card in the game against Austria.

Cyprus

🎙️ Cyprus head coach Apostolos Mantzios expressed complete satisfaction with his players' performance against Bulgaria. He emphasized, “We need to develop the mentality we showed against Bulgaria. The Cypriot players possess a talent that will benefit both our national team and their respective clubs.”

❌ In preparation for the match against Bulgaria, Rafail Mamas is sidelined due to injury, so he won't be available for the upcoming fixture. Ioannis Pittas, the team's top scorer in the current tournament, has not been called up for training. He received a red card at the end of the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The main referee for the match is Donatas Rumšas from Lithuania. This season, he has officiated three international matches. In two of those, he issued two yellow cards each, while the Portugal vs. Poland clash saw five bookings. On average, Rumšas hands out 3.23 yellow cards per match across all competitions.

This season, Cyprus have been receiving more yellow cards on average (3.1 compared to 2.1). In international fixtures, there are about 4.5 bookings on average. In their last UEFA Nations League head-to-heads, the Cypriots lived up to this statistic (4:2, 3:0). Given these circumstances, a bet on the visitors to win on yellow cards seems reasonable.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Cyprus have shown improvement in their play recently. However, they still concede frequently, especially after halftime — in 10 of their last 11 away matches. Romania have found scoring relatively easy in recent head-to-head encounters. Thus, considering a bet on the hosts to score in the second half is worthwhile.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Romania hold a slight edge in corners this season (5.2 compared to 5.1). It's clear that Cyprus have improved offensively. They are likely to be trailing during the match, prompting them to push forward in search of an equalizer. Therefore, a bet on Cyprus over 2.5 total corners looks appealing, especially since this has been successful in 6 of their last 7 games.

Romania are the favorites heading into this matchup, as they cannot afford to drop points, especially against a team like Cyprus. The hosts will be without their captain, which might impact their performance, but their superior quality should see them through to a win, possibly with a scoreline of 3-1.

Cyprus have been impressive, showing strong play against a relatively tough opponent in Bulgaria. While Romania hold a slight edge in class and are highly motivated, dreaming of points in Bucharest remains a challenge for the visitors. However, they are capable of finding the back of the net, particularly since Mircea Lucescu's side have been conceding goals even to teams like San Marino. Therefore, our key bet is both teams to score (yes).