Cyprus host Romania in a crucial clash in Group H of the World Cup qualifiers. Should Romania win here and Austria fall victim to Bosnia & Herzegovina, there could be a major shift in the standings.
While we're only halfway through the qualifications in Group H, Cyprus' chances are mostly gone. Mathematically, they can still finish second in the group, but to do that, they need to win all four games and hope that Austria end the cycle with five defeats in a row. In other words, something impossible.
Romania have alternated wins and defeats, making their task much more difficult than it was predicted. The Tricolorii also need to win all remaining games or at least three out of four to stand a chance. Romania's performances have been hit or miss, and they fell short against both direct competitors in this group, while claiming the points against Cyprus and San Marino.
How the bookies view it: Everyone expects Cyprus to lose
Once again, bookmakers are giving extreme advantages to the favourites, as Romania are available at 11/20. Cyprus have been priced at 19/4, which may be a mistake after their solid performance against Austria last week. Lastly, the draw is available at 3/1.
Recent head to head: Overwhelming advantage for the Tricolorii
Cyprus and Romania have a rich history between them, dating back to the 1960s. And in that long period, which includes 17 H2Hs, the Mediterranean nation has only one triumph. For comparison, Romania have won 14 out of the 17 meetings, including the recent encounter in the group in June (2-0).
Players to watch: Dennis Man has been a nightmare for Cyprus
The thing about Mircea Lucescu is that he likes to test different squads every time, which always makes it difficult to predict his line-ups. Romania's boss has used 26 different players in four rounds. But one striker has been part of all the fun, and that is Dennis Man. The 27-year-old has been particularly effective against Cyprus, scoring and assisting in both games he played against them in 2025 and 2024. It seems like a good idea to trust him once more in such a crucial fixture.
Probable line-ups
Cyprus: Fabiano, Shikkis, Pileas, Sielis, Laifis, Kyriakou, Kastanos, Sotiriou, Tzionis, Loizou, Pittas
Romania: Moldovan, Sorescu, Ghita, Burca, M. Marin, R. Marin, Stanciu, Man, Tanase, Dragus
Anything else catch the eye?
While Cyprus lost all three matches against the higher-ranked national teams in the group, they put up a serious fight against Bosnia and Austria. On paper, Romania should win this match comfortably, and we will definitely back them, but we expect some effort from Cyprus too.
The stakes are extremely high, even though Cyprus must realise that their chances are minimal. With this said, we expect goals from both sides, but a hard-fought Romanian triumph. Of course, Romania have been extremely inconsistent and we don't know for certain if they will dominate or play mediocre football, but based on recent events, we know we can expect some action. For the scoreline, we'd pick 2-1 for the visitors.
GambleAware