San Marino will take on Cyprus in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday, 12 October, in a battle of the minnows in Group H.
Neither side have any hopes of qualifying for the World Cup next summer in the USA, Canada and Mexico, but if either of them are going to get.a win in qualifying, then this is the match.
As part of this week's round of World Cup qualifying betting tips, check out our San Marino vs Cyprus prediction below.
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San Marino vs Cyprus prediction: A tough night ahead for the visitors
Key Stats
- San Marino have failed to score in four of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Cyprus have failed to score three goals or more in any of their last 13 matches.
- Fewer than three goals were scored in the reverse fixture.
Correct score prediction: San Marino 0-2 Cyprus
This was the scoreline that San Marino kept Cyprus to when the two nations last met earlier on in the qualification group, and although the hosts should, in theory, be better at home, Cyprus never got out of first gear in that match and perhaps won't need to again here.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Cyprus are heavy favourites
- HOME: 12/1 (13.00) – 7.7%
- DRAW: 19/4 (5.75) – 17.4%
- AWAY: 1/4 (1.25) – 80%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
The San Marino vs Cyprus odds are weighted strongly in favour of the visitors, but San Marino are more than used to being priced as the underdogs. Ladbrokes have given the hosts a 7.7% chance of winning the match, while Cyprus hae been given an 80% chance of claiming their second win of qualifying.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: Advantage Cyprus
Cyprus have always enjoyed themselves against San Marino and they have won all six of their meetings with the minnows this century. The most recent clash came in March this year, when Cyprus ran out as 2-0 winners. San Marino have never scored a competitive goal against Cyprus.
International Match 11/06/24
San Marino
Cyprus
Euro 2019 Qualifying 09/09/19
San Marino
Cyprus
Euro 2019 Qualifying 21/03/19
Cyprus
San Marino
San Marino preview: Time to experiment
San Marino are once again out of contention for World Cup qualification at the earliest possible point, but realistically, they were never truly aiming for the finals. They have never won a World Cup qualifying match before, so that will naturally be their aim from here on out and this is their best opportunity at finding one.
Predicted lineup: Colombo (GK), Matteoni, Cevoli, Riccardi, Tosi, Mularoni, Capicchioni, Lazzari, Berardi, Contadini, Nanni
Last five results
- Austria 10-0 San Marino
- Malta 3-1 San Marino
- San Marino 0-6 Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Modena 4-1 San Marino
- San Marino 0-4 Austria
Cyprus preview: Unfamiliar territory
In truth, Cyprus are usually in a position similar to San Marino, so being heavily odds-on to win a football match is certainly unfamiliar territory for them. How they deal with that will be interesting to see, especially now that they have been officially eliminated from qualifying contention, too.
Predicted lineup: Mall (GK), Shikkis, Andreou, Laifis, Correia, Kyriakou, Kastanos, Tzionis, Loizou, Charalampous, Pittas
Last five results
- Cyprus 2-2 Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Cyprus 2-2 Romania
- Austria 1-0 Cyprus
- Romania 2-0 Cyprus
- Bulgaria 2-2 Cyprus
Player to watch: Ioannis Pittas
Ioannis Pittas will be the best player on the pitch on Sunday afternoon, and the forward will fancy his chance of getting on the scoresheet. Pittas has scored three goals in his last four matches for club and country, so he should have plenty of confidence coming into the match.