The battle for survival at Larnaca

Having only earned three points so far, the relegation battle could be decided between the bottom two teams in Group C2 when Cyprus and Lithuania meet in the UEFA Nations League on Friday.

The home team can secure safety if they earn a point at Larnaca, which means the away team must win to continue their fight for survival until the final day.

Latest team news for Cyprus vs Lithuania

Sofronis Avgousti switched from a three-defender formation to a 4-2-3-1 system throughout this year's UEFA Nations League campaign, and he will have to make at least one change in defense on Friday, as St Mirren's Alex Gogic withdraws due to injury.

Anorthosis Famagusta midfielder Andreas Chrysostomou is also unavailable, but Brazilian-born right-back Anderson Correia has been recalled and will provide support on the left flank for the home side.

Expected to start in attack, AIK striker Ioannis Pittas has averaged nearly one goal per game this Allsvenskan season, and he is expected to continue leading the attack, partnering with Hellas Verona striker Grigoris Kastanos.

Meanwhile, Lithuania's attack is led by Armandas Kucys, who scored in last month's defeat against Romania and is the author of two of the team's three goals in the Nations League so far.

Veteran captain Fedor Cernych, who is close to reaching 100 caps for the national team, has recently been mostly coming on as a substitute, so Paulius Golubickas is very likely to start and play behind Kucys at the AEK Arena.

Latest predicted lineups for Cyprus vs Lithuania

Cyprus:

Mall; Antoniou, Andreou, Laifis, Ioannou; Kousoulos, Artymatas; Loizou, Kastanos, Tzionis; Pittas

Lithuania:

Gertmonas; Sirvys, Lekiatas, Girdvainis, Tutyskinas; Vorobjovas, Gineitis; Slivka, Golubickas, Lasickas; Kucys

Latest football match prediction: Cyprus vs Lithuania

Following a disappointing pre-season in October, where they conceded six goals in two matches without earning a single point, Cyprus's hopes of promotion to League B ended in a devastating blow.

A 3-0 home defeat against Romania, followed by a similar loss against Kosovo, leaves the team solely focused on avoiding relegation to the fourth tier of European football.

With their only victory in the Nations League against Lithuania, the Cyprus national team has dropped to 127th place in the latest FIFA rankings. More importantly, they are currently third in Group 2 and still face the risk of relegation.

Nevertheless, Sofronis Avgousti's team still has a three-point lead over the bottom of the table, so a draw on Friday night would be enough for them to maintain a safe distance, avoiding automatic relegation or participating in the relegation play-offs with teams from League D.

A defeat could force them to need at least one point in their final match on Monday against Romania, who have won all their games so far. Therefore, a victory similar to the one against Lithuania in September would be very welcome.

When they faced Cyprus two months ago, Lithuania left the field disappointed after failing to capitalize on their opportunities, despite having twice as many shots as their opponents and controlling possession for almost two-thirds of the time.

This proved costly, as subsequent defeats against Romania (both home and away) and Kosovo left them with no points at the bottom of Group 2.

After narrowly avoiding relegation from League C in the 2022-23 Nations League – thanks to a play-off victory against Gibraltar – Lithuania now faces the same risk again this season.

Under the leadership of national football legend Edgaras Jankauskas – who returned to power after being appointed in January 2023 – Lithuania has only managed four wins in 18 matches since the former Porto striker's return.

Ranked 13 places lower than Cyprus in the FIFA rankings, Lithuania is predicted to finish fourth – even with a win, they may still need points in their final match against Kosovo on the last day of the group stage. However, their fate is yet to be decided.

Predicting the score for Cyprus vs Lithuania

Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have come up with the following predictions for the Cyprus vs Lithuania match:

• Sportsmole: Cyprus 1-0 Lithuania

• WhoScore: Cyprus 2-1 Lithuania
• Our prediction: Cyprus 1-0 Lithuania

When and where can I watch Cyprus vs Lithuania live?

To watch the Cyprus vs Lithuania match live in the Nations League at 00:00 on November 16th, viewers can tune in on TV360 here, MyTV here, or on other online sports channels. We wish you enjoyable football viewing moments.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/nhan-dinh-du-doan-cyprus-vs-lithuania-cuoc-chien-sinh-tu-tai-larnaca-234283.html