Cyprus host Estonia in the second leg of their UEFA Nations League relegation playoff tie that could determine the fate of both teams. Having battled to a 0-0 draw in the first meeting, another closely fought encounter is expected but playing on home soil, the Cypriots could be backed to have a slight edge on Tuesday.
Despite failing to score, Cyprus will take some confidence from their performance in the first meeting. They allowed Estonia more of the ball but had the clearer chances and will be feeling positive heading into Tuesday’s clash.
Ranked 105 in the world, Cyprus recently completed their World Cup qualifying campaign with just five points from their 10 matches. While that points tally was only good enough to finish second-bottom in Group H, they will look to build on a number solid results at home.
Cyprus played out a 2-2 draw with Malta in their previous fixture at the Venue AEK Arena. However, the most impressive result for Nikos Kostenoglou’s men in recent times was a 1-0 home victory over Slovenia and they will be keen to put up a similar performance on Tuesday.
Estonia have had similar results with Cyprus and are just one place below Tuesday’s hosts in the world rankings. Their recently concluded World Cup qualifying campaign saw them finish second from bottom in Group E having amassed just four points from eight matches.
Like Cyprus, Estonia will also take some confidence from a number of solid performances during the qualifiers, including a 0-0 draw in Wales. However, they have claimed just one win from their last eight matches across all competitions, suffering five defeats in that run.
While manager Thomas Haberli will be looking to channel the performance in draw in Wales, Estonia do not have the best away record. They are winless in their last three matches on the road, scoring just once in that run.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be split on this one with a win for Cyprus priced at 16/9 by SBK who are also offering 2/1 for an Estonia win. A draw is also set at odds of 2/1 by BoyleSports.
Head to head
Cyprus have a 3-2 advantage with four draws from seven previous matches with Estonia. Both teams battled to a 0-0 draw in their last meeting last Thursday.
Players to watch
Cyprus will be banking on Pieros Sotiriou who has been in good form for Bulgarian club Ludogorets lately. The striker was also on target against Malta the last time the Cypriots were at home and is priced at 9/4 with bet365 to get on the score sheet on Tuesday.
At the other end of the pitch, Cyprus will be targeting a shutout as Estonia have struggled in attack lately. Alexandros Gogic and Charalambos Kyriakou often feature at the back and can lead the hosts to a clean sheet at 6/4 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Cyprus and Estonia are not particularly prolific in attack which means BTTS NO could be considered at 4/6 with BoyleSports. The Cypriots are expected to have the upper and at home and could be backed to earn a win to nil at 11/4 with William Hill.
The Cypriots looked more threatening in the first leg and could be backed to grab the opening goal on Tuesday at 11/10 with Coral.
This UEFA Nations League match between Cyprus and Estonia will be played on Mar 29, 2022 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Cyprus vs Estonia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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