Latvia vs Cyprus prediction, preview & betting tips – 28/09/2026

Latvia welcome Cyprus to Skonto Stadium on Monday evening knowing that another defeat would leave them with a difficult task in UEFA Nations League Group C2, while the visitors are also looking for their first points after losing their opening fixtures.

Paolo Nicolato's Latvia were beaten 2-0 by Armenia in Yerevan, while Apostolos Mantzios' Cyprus side lost 2-1 away to Montenegro on Friday.

Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.

Latvia vs. Cyprus key stats

• Latvia have lost their last two matches without scoring.
• Latvia’s last five games produced under 2.5 goals.
• The three previous meetings between these nations have produced under 2.5 goals.

Latvia vs. Cyprus preview: Two beaten sides meet in Riga

Latvia vs. Cyprus — Tale of the Tape

Latvia	vs	Cyprus
4th	Position	3rd
0	Points	0
0	Goals For	1
2	Goals Against	2
0	Clean Sheets	0
3rd	Home / Away Rank	3rd

Latvia's opening match of the Nations League offered little encouragement as Armenia claimed a 2-0 victory in Yerevan, leaving Nicolato's side without a goal from their first competitive fixture of the autumn.

The result followed a disappointing summer for Latvia, who lost 1-0 to the Faroe Islands in the Baltic Cup third-place match after a penalty-shootout defeat to Lithuania in the semi-finals. 

Before that, however, they had beaten Gibraltar 1-0 in both legs of their Nations League relegation playoff to preserve their League C status.

Those victories over Gibraltar remain important in the context of Latvia's recent record, but the team have now failed to score in three of their last four matches. 

Nicolato has also had to work around a number of absences, with Janis Ikaunieks ruled out of the Armenia match after suffering an injury in training, although his involvement against Cyprus had initially not been completely ruled out. 

Renars Varslavans, Kristers Tobers, Dario Sits, Alvis Jaunzems, Bruno Melnis and Emils Birka were also listed among Latvia's injured players for this international window.

Ikaunieks' availability remains one of the points to monitor before kickoff, while Kristers Cudars has been brought into the senior squad for the first time after scoring nine league goals for Ogre United this season.

Cyprus have also begun the competition with a defeat, although their 2-1 loss in Montenegro was considerably closer than Latvia's result in Armenia. Ioannis Pittas scored Cyprus' goal, but Montenegro ultimately secured all three points in Podgorica.

The defeat continued a mixed run for Mantzios since taking charge. Cyprus had entered the Nations League after beating Liechtenstein 2-0 and drawing 1-1 with Slovenia in June, with those results following a 3-2 friendly victory over Moldova and a 1-0 loss to Belarus.

There is also considerable interest surrounding Marcus Edwards, who has switched his international allegiance to Cyprus after representing England at youth level. 

The Burnley midfielder was included in Mantzios' squad and made his Cyprus debut against Montenegro, giving the visitors another attacking option for their second group match.

Pittas remains another important figure for Cyprus, having scored three goals in six appearances during the recent European qualifying cycle listed by UEFA.

Cyprus have the historical edge in this fixture, with two victories and one draw from the three previous meetings. The most recent encounter ended 1-1 in a friendly in March 2024, meaning Latvia are still searching for their first victory over the Cypriots.

Latvia vs. Cyprus form guide & betting tips

Latvia vs. Cyprus — Last 5 Form Guide

Latvia	vs	Cyprus
W W L L L	Form	L W D W L
3	Goals For	7
4	Goals Against	6
L	Nations League	L

Whispers predicts: Latvia 1-1 Cyprus

The under 2.5 goals selection at 1.65 (13/20) is the preferred betting angle, with recent results from both teams providing support for a relatively low-scoring contest. Latvia's last five matches all contained fewer than three goals, while Cyprus have also been involved in several tight games this year.

The draw at 3.20 (11/5) is another option, particularly with neither team having won their opening Nations League fixture. 

The 1-1 correct score at 6.00 (5/1) provides the preferred scoreline, with both teams capable of finding a goal but neither showing enough recent attacking consistency to make a high-scoring result the leading scenario.

📈 Latvia vs. Cyprus — Whispers' Tips

> Under 2.5 goals at 1.65 (13/20) | Likelihood: Probable

> Both teams to score at 1.85 (17/20) | Likelihood: Probable

> Match result — Draw at 3.20 (11/5) | Likelihood: Possible

> Correct score — Latvia 1-1 Cyprus at 6.00 (5/1) | Likelihood: Outsider