While 32 nations are currently preparing for the World Cup, Cyprus and Bulgaria are scheduled to go head to head in an international friendly in Larnaca on Wednesday.
Both teams are playing their first matches since completing disappointing campaigns in the UEFA Nations League.
Match preview
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Although you have to go pre-pandemic for the last time that Cyprus won on their travels, two wins and a draw have been recorded on familiar territory during 2022.
Their last home fixture brought about their most encouraging result since March 2021, an early Marinos Tzionis goal earning Cyprus a 1-0 win over previously-unbeaten Greece in the UEFA Nations League.
That fixture also marked Temuri Ketsbaia's first game in charge, but the early optimism from that match disappeared three days later as they succumbed 5-1 in Kosovo.
Even a draw from that fixture would have led to Cyprus avoiding bottom spot in their group, and they now head into the relegation play-outs in a bid to avoid demotion to the fourth tier.
On a more positive note, Cyprus have lost just three of their last eight matches in all competitions ahead of meeting a Bulgaria side who are most definitely on the up.
Between November and June, Bulgaria had gone eight matches without success, a new low being hit when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Gibraltar.
Since then, however, a spirited share of the spoils in Georgia has been followed by wins over Gibraltar and North Macedonia.
Mladen Krstajic, formerly of Serbia, is only two matches into his reign, but there are signs that Bulgaria should not drop any lower down the international pecking order than they already have done.
Bulgaria are currently on a four-match unbeaten streak against Cyprus and have prevailed in 13 of their 15 matches in their history.
Team News
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Ketsbaia will make at least four changes to his Cyprus squad with a quartet of players from the Kosovo defeat not featuring in this squad.
Konstantinos Laifis, Alex Gogic, Georgios Efrem and Andronikos Kakoullis could all be drafted into the team.
Meanwhile, two of Bulgaria's most recent starting lineup are missing, so Ivan Turitsov and Nikola Iliev are options at right wing-back and in a central creative role respectively.
As many as 11 players in this group have earned two caps of less with Krstajic picking a squad with the future very much in mind.
Cyprus possible starting lineup:
Panagi; Andreou, Katelaris, Roberge, Laifis; Kyriakou, Gogic; Loizou, Kastanos, Efrem; Kakoullis
Bulgaria possible starting lineup:
Naumov; Nedyalkov, Antov, Galabov; Turitsov, Gruev, Karabelyov, Petkov; Iliev; Kirilov, Despodov
We say: Cyprus 1-1 Bulgaria
Cyrpus play much better on familiar territory and will give themselves every chance of recording a morale-boosting victory on Wednesday. However, Bulgaria are a team who are on an upward curve, leading us to predict a competitive share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
