Cyprus - Georgia
Europe - European Championship, Qualification Group A, Round 3
Cyprus had a disappointing debut in the group, suffering an easy 3-0 defeat to Scotland in Glasgow. The hosts took the lead in the 21st minute, and although Cyprus theoretically remained in the match until the 87th minute, they failed to show anything significant offensively. The other two goals came in the final stages of the game. In March, Cyprus did not have any other official matches but traveled to Yerevan to play a friendly against Armenia, which ended in a 2-2 draw. The match had a good pace, and Cyprus displayed a more aggressive approach, taking the lead with Karo in the 43rd minute. However, they experienced a blackout in the second half, leading to a complete turnaround for the Armenians until the 59th minute. Cyprus managed to create opportunities and equalized with Christofis in the 82nd minute. In terms of the group, Cyprus remains the underdog and is unlikely to avoid finishing in last place. Today's game is special for their Georgian coach Ketsbaia, who also previously coached his country from 2009 to 2014. Their next match is an away game against Norway on June 20th.
In terms of team news, Ketsbaia has several additional options compared to the last national team match. Standout players include Andreou (A, Charleroi) and Kastanos (M, Salernitana). However, stopper Nikolas Ioannou (Como), who was sent off against Scotland, is unavailable. A problem arose during the preparation with the useful Ioannou (M, Anorthosis). New faces in the team include Pileas (A, Aris Limassol) and Mol (T, Olympiacos Nicosia), as well as Koreia (A, Anorthosis), who recently acquired Cypriot citizenship.
Moving on to Georgia, after their impressive run in the UEFA Nations League, where they finished undefeated in first place (5-1-0) in Group 3, they have set high expectations for themselves. In their group opener, they hosted Norway and secured a 1-1 draw. Despite not having to face Haaland, who was sidelined, Kvaratskelia and his teammates saw Sherloth open the scoring in the 15th minute with a diagonal left shot. Mamardashvili made a crucial intervention in the 33rd minute to keep Georgia in the match. They improved their performance as the game progressed, equalizing with the Napoli star in the 39th minute and taking the lead with Mikutadze on the hour mark. The match could have seen a third goal, either from Georgia or from the "Vikings." To challenge the group's frontrunners, Georgia must secure a victory in tonight's game and then travel to Glasgow to face Scotland on June 20th.
In terms of team news, Napoli star Kvartsvelia (ME) expressed confidence and stated that the team is well prepared for the upcoming matches, emphasizing the importance of tonight's game ahead of the match against Scotland. Kvilitaia (E), who is familiar with the island as a player for APOEL, returns to the squad. However, Kotsolava (A) and Mekvabisvili (M) are unavailable.
Cyprus will aim to be competitive on home soil, but Georgia, with Kvaratskelia in their starting lineup, poses a different challenge, and there is no player on the opposing side capable of stopping them.