The Matchday 5 clash in the Nations League between Cyprus and Lithuania in Group 2 of League C will take place on November 15 at the AEK Arena in Larnaca. Cyprus vs. Lithuania: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Nenad Minakovic (Serbia)
Matches – 10 (International matches, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 31;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.1;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 10%.
Predicted lineups for Cyprus vs. Lithuania
Cyprus (3-4-3): Dimitris Dimitriou – Stelios Andreou, Andreas Karo, Nicholas Ioannou – Grigoris Kastanos, Kostakis Artymatas, Nicholas Panayiotou, Anderson Correia – Ioannis Pittas, Loizos Loizou, Pieros Sotiriou.
Lithuania (3-5-2): Edvinas Gertmonas – Artemijus Tutyskinas, Edvinas Girdvainis, Rokas Lekytas – Justas Lasickas, Gvidas Gineitis, Modestas Vorobjovas, Paulius Golubickas, Pijus Sirvys – Gytis Paulauskas, Armandas Kučys.
Cyprus
Cyprus suffered their third consecutive heavy defeat without scoring in the Nations League, losing 0-3 to Kosovo in their previous match. They began this tournament with a victory over Lithuania with a score of 1-0, which allows them to hold third place in the group standings. To guarantee they maintain this position and stay in League C, Cyprus needs at least a draw in the upcoming match. Notably, Cyprus shares the title of the worst attacking team in the entire League C division with Bulgaria and Luxembourg, having scored only one goal.
Defender Kostas Laifis will miss the game due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 16 of Cyprus's last 19 Nations League matches.
- Cyprus's uncompromising streak in the Nations League is six matches (2 wins, 4 losses).
- The team has not scored more than one goal in their last five home matches in this tournament.
Lithuania
Lithuania has lost all four matches in the current Nations League campaign, conceding at least twice in the last three. Thus, Lithuania is one of only two teams, along with Azerbaijan, without any points in League C. To have a chance of staying in League C, the team needs a win in the upcoming match. It should be noted that Lithuania's goal difference is not the worst in the group, with a tally of -5, while their upcoming opponent has a difference of -9.
Midfielder Vykintas Slivka will miss the game due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
- Lithuania's uncompromising streak in the Nations League is seven matches (2 wins, 5 losses).
- The team has scored in 5 of their last 6 matches in this tournament.
- Lithuania has never drawn away in the Nations League (3 wins, 8 losses).
Cyprus vs. Lithuania: Match Prediction
Both teams are the weakest in the group and rightly occupy the last two spots in the standings, fighting to stay in League C. The hosts have an advantage, having beaten Lithuania 1-0 in the first round away and can afford to draw in the upcoming match to secure third place.
The visitors have nothing to lose and need only a victory, so I expect Lithuania to be active. The team regularly scores in the Nations League, having found the net in 5 of their last 6 matches. Cyprus, on the other hand, does not boast an impenetrable defense; in fact, they have conceded the most goals in the group, a total of 10. Even if the visitors do not manage to win this match, they should be able to breach such a vulnerable defense.
Therefore, my prediction: Lithuania individual total over 0.5