Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup qualifying match.
Cyprus have not lost a home match yet and beat San Marino 2:0 away. That win was expected, and both draws against the World Cup contenders Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina were comebacks that finished 2:2. On both occasions they came from 0:2 down, and against Bosnia and Herzegovina the equaliser arrived as late as the 90th minute.
Cyprus
Cyprus have shown resilience in this qualification. At home they avoid defeat and demonstrate the capacity to respond after setbacks, which was clear in the 2:2 results against Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina after trailing 0:2. Their mentality and organisation at the back have improved, and the team tend to be competitive in duels and second balls.
Austria
Austria, quarter-finalists at the recent European Championship, beat Cyprus in Linz only thanks to a single Marcel Sabitzer penalty, despite producing 2.04 xGA in chances. However, the visitors were not inferior to the hosts on the day: they attempted more shots both overall (16-10) and on target (5-3), and generated 1.66 xG, which is usually enough for a goal. In this qualification the Austrians have already dropped points — they lost to Romania at the death 0:1, while Bosnia and Herzegovina pushed them hard 2:1.
Cyprus vs Austria Prediction
This should not be straightforward for Austria, and three points are not guaranteed. We believe the handicap on Cyprus is the sensible angle given their home record and ability to stay in matches even when trailing. The visitors may control phases, but the hosts have enough to keep the margin narrow.
