Having already secured promotion as League C Group 2 winners, Greece will be looking to maintain their 100% record in the UEFA Nations League when they face Cyprus on Saturday.

The hosts, meanwhile, are still seeking their first victory in the group and face the prospect of relegation to the fourth tier.

Match preview

© Reuters

Ranked 108th in the world by FIFA, Cyprus have struggled to make their mark in League C Group 2 and have accumulated only two points from their first four matches.

Both points were picked up in games against Northern Ireland, although they missed the chance to claim all three in their most recent fixture, as they let a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2 in Belfast three months ago.

A change in the dugout has been made since their last match, with Nikos Kostenoglou replaced by former Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Temur Ketsbaia, who won 52 caps for Georgia as a player.

Ketsbaia is now tasked with steering Cyprus away from the bottom of League C Group 2, although finishing fourth would not determine their fate as they would first enter a relegation playoff with the three other basement nations from League C to decide which two teams drop down to the fourth tier.

Cyprus, who need to better Northern Ireland's results in their final two fixtures to avoid finishing bottom, have lost seven of their last eight meetings against Saturday's opponents Greece, with a 2-1 friendly victory back in November 2001 their only success in this period against the Piratiko.

© Reuters

Greece are one of only four teams who have won all of their group games in the Nations League this campaign, scoring seven goals without reply in the process.

The Piratiko began with successive 1-0 away wins over Northern Ireland and Kosovo, before beating Cyprus 3-0 on home soil in their third match. Anastasios Bakasetas scored in all three victories, but he was not on the scoresheet in their most recent win over Kosovo, with strikes from Giorgos Giakoumakis and Petros Mantalos securing a 2-0 success in June.

Greece finished third and then second in their first two Nations League campaigns, but Gus Poyet has steered them to top spot this time around and they are the only nation to have already secured promotion after four fixtures.

With no World Cup to prepare for, the pressure is off for Greece this month, but a victory against Cyprus would see them put together a five-game winning streak for the first time since 2013.

Team News

© Reuters

Thirty-five-year-old French-born defender Valentin Roberge has received his first international call-up for Cyprus and he could be handed his debut in the back three along with Alex Gogic and Nikolas Ioannou, shielding goalkeeper Constantinos Panagi.

Striker Pieros Sotiriou, who has scored 12 international goals, is expected to lead the line, with support provided in attack by Marinos Tzionis and Demetris Christofi.

As for Greece, Bakasetas is set to receive his 50th international cap and he will likely join Andreas Bouchalakis and Manolis Siopis in centre-midfield.

Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas and Sheffield United's George Baldock are expected to continue as full-backs, either side of central defenders Konstantinos Mavropanos and Pantelis Chatzidiakos.

With Vangelis Pavlidis ruled out due to injury, Celtic's Giakoumakis could be handed a start as the central striker after coming off the bench to score last time out.

Cyprus possible starting lineup:
Panagi; Roberge, Gogic, Katelaris; Panagiotou, Kastanos, Artymatas, Ioannou; Christofi, Tzionis; Sotiriou

Greece possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Baldock, Mavropanos, Chatzidiakos, Tsimikas; Bouchalakis, Siopis, Bakasetas; Chatzigiovanis, Giakoumakis, Masouras

We say: Cyprus 0-2 Greece

While Greece are simply playing for pride, the pressure is all on relegation-threatened Cyprus, and a victory here would provide a huge boost to their survival hopes.

However, the visitors have cruised through their Nations League campaign so far and we expect them to secure another routine win on Saturday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Oliver Thomas

Previews by email