SAN MARINO and Cyprus square off in an international friendly on Tuesday with both teams looking to end a poor run of results. Both sides have been poor lately but the Cypriots often do well in this fixture and should have the upper hand.
San Marino are coming off a 4-0 defeat to Slovakia in their previous international friendly. They were no match for the Slovaks and barely saw the ball, finishing without a single attempt on target.
Results and performances like that are usually frequent for San Marino, who generally struggled in international football. Roberto Cevoli’s men are often at the receiving end of heavy defeats with a 6-0 hammering to Finland and a 4-0 thrashing in Denmark among their results.
Cyprus are also coming off a defeat as they were beaten 3-2 by Moldova last time out. They came from behind to lead through Danilo Spoljaric and Ioannis Pittas before conceding two late goals.
While the defeat will be disappointing, manager Temur Ketsbaia will take plenty of positives from the performance. Unlike San Marino, Cyprus have also picked up a win in recent times, claiming a 1-0 victory over Lithuania back in November.
How the bookies view it: San Marino unfancied again
Cyprus have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 1/6 by bet365 to win. An unlikely victory for San Marino is priced at 10/1 while a draw is set at odds of 13/2.
Head to head: Cyprus on top
Cyprus have never lost to San Marino, winning all six previous matches. The most recent meeting was a Euro 2020 qualifier which ended 4-0 in favour of the Cypriots.
Players to watch: Pittas the goal threat
Ioannis Pittas has been the shining light for Cyprus in recent times and will be the one to watch on Tuesday. The forward has three goals in the last four international matches and is priced at 11/10 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Cyprus have never conceded a goal against San Marino and will be keen to maintain that run. Alexander Gogic often features at the heart of the defence and can lead the Cypriots to another clean sheet at 4/5.
Probable line-ups
Given their performance last time out, Cyprus might retain much of the team that faced Moldova. San Marino are also unlikely to me too many changes to their side.
San Marino: Colombo, Fabri, Cevoli, Rossi, Tosi, Golinucci, Golinucci, Berardi, Contadini, Sensoli, Nanni
Cyprus: Mall, Kyprianou, Gogic, Panagiatou, Satsias, Kastanos, Spoljaric, Malekkidis, Loizou, Pittas, Chrysostomou
Anything else catch the eye?
Cyprus have claimed a number of one-sided wins over San Marino and could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 15/8 by bet365. They could also be backed to score in both halves at 5/6 with bet365.
With the Cypriots expected to be dominant, they could be backed to win both halves at 5/4 with bet365.
This International Friendly match between San Marino and Cyprus will be played on Jun 11, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best San Marino vs Cyprus prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
