NORTHERN IRELAND are already on the back foot in their UEFA Nations League group after losing the opener to Greece and need to bounce back when they make a summer jaunt to Cyprus.
A shortage of firepower cost Ian Baraclough for the second successive game as the Greeks joined Hungary in emerging from Belfast with a 1-0 victory. The Irish let down our man Mark after he tipped them to win but the lack of goalmouth action saw another of his bets come up.
Baraclough's men have now scored just five goals in their last eight games – and three of those came in one friendly against Luxembourg. So it's easy to see where the problem lies as the gaffer bids to build on the legacy left behind by Michael O'Neill.
Northern Ireland now face a Cyprus side with similar problems to their own, having drawn a blank themselves while losing 2-0 at home to Kosovo in their group opener.
The Cypriots have also only scored five times in their last eight outings and their only win in the last 10 games was a 2-0 victory over Estonia in the last Nations League campaign.
That suggests this clash won't be a thriller but neither manager will worry about putting on a show so long as they emerge with all three points.
How the bookies view it
Northern Ireland are favourites but can still be backed at odds-against with Betfair pricing them at 11/10. Cyprus are as big as 33/10 with VBet while the draw pays 44/19 at the same firm.
Head to head
Northern Ireland have a good record against Cyprus, winning three of the six meetings and losing just once. The last two outings have been hard to watch, both ending in 0-0 draws.
The Irish had to hold on for that stalemate in Cyprus when these teams last faced off in 2014, with Gareth McAuley sent off 15 minutes from time (below).
Players to watch
Cyprus might be struggling to score goals but star striker Pieros Sotiriou has been netting for fun with Ludogorets this season. He has 23 goals for club and country this term and is 11/4 with Bet365 for another here.
Kyle Lafferty came off the bench for Northern Ireland against Greece and the veteran could start here as Baraclough seeks a spark. The former Rangers star was in good form for Kilmarnock at the end of the season and is 2/1 at Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
I don't think many neutrals will be tuning in for this one after the last two meetings ended in 0-0 draws. Betting against BTTS pays just 13/17 with SBK while under 2.5 goals is even shorter at 7/12 with the same firm. You have to go to under 1.5 strikes to find value at 7/4 with BoyleSports.
The stats suggest the half-time draw is a decent option and that pays a best 28/29 with SBK. Northern Ireland's clash with Greece produced just three corners so under eight corners in this game looks to have a chance at 6/5 with Bet365.
McBookie are offering 8/5 on the Irish picking up most bookings and that may be worth a punt as Cyprus collected just one card in defeat at home to Kosovo last time out.
This UEFA Nations League match between Cyprus and Northern Ireland will be played on Jun 5, 2022 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Cyprus vs Northern Ireland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
