Two sides still searching for their first victories in Euro 2024 qualifying Group A butt heads at AEK Arena on Saturday night, as Cyprus welcome Georgia to Larnaca.

The hosts opened their account with a dampening 3-0 defeat to Scotland back in March, while Willy Sagnol's team came from behind to hold Norway to a draw.

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A few days before scoring a wonderful brace against Spain, Scott McTominay was also the two-goal hero for Scotland in their maiden Euro 2024 qualifying battle with Cyprus, who succumbed to a late double from the Manchester United man after John McGinn's earlier strike at Hampden Park.

Plummeting to the bottom of the standings after just one game, Temur Ketsbaia's side sought to rectify those mistakes during a subsequent friendly with Armenia three days later, but the world's 111th-ranked nation - who ended the game with 10 men - had an 83rd-minute Dimitrios Christofi equaliser to thank for a 2-2 draw in that affair.

Unsurprisingly still waiting for their inauguration at a major tournament, Cyprus also have the small matter of a Nations League relegation playout lingering in the back of their mind, as Ketsbaia's men finished bottom of League C Group 2 and must put Gibraltar to the sword to retain their third-tier status next year.

If a run of just three wins from their last 21 matches in all competitions was not humbling enough, Cyprus have shipped at least two goals in their last five games - conceding 14 in total - while they have also failed to score in three of their most recent four home contests.

The form book certainly does not make for pleasant reading for the home crowd, as their side have also suffered four successive Euro qualifying defeats since besting Kazakhstan 2-1 in October 2019, and Georgia's Naples-based wing wizard will have a glint in his eyes this week.

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While Cyprus will soon be fighting to avoid demotion to the fourth tier of Nations League football, Georgia will soon be mixing with the big boys of League B thanks to another sensational period of progression in 2022-23, taking 16 points from the 18 on offer in their section.

Of course, Scudetto winner Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was at the heart and soul of Georgia's efforts with a league-high five goals, but the 22-year-old left his best shooting boots behind during March's international break, where Georgia thumped Mongolia 6-1 in a friendly before being thwarted by Norway in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier.

The Nordic nation took the lead with 15 minutes gone through Alexander Sorloth, but Georges Mikautadze rescued a point for Sagnol's team on the hour mark to leave them fourth in Group A, while also safe in the knowledge that they will progress to the playoffs courtesy of their Nations League exploits if a top-two finish proves beyond them.

It may only be a matter of time before the Crusaders end their lengthy wait for a major tournament appearance, as Georgia have been beaten in just one of their last 14 affairs - a 3-0 friendly loss to World Cup semi-finalists Morocco - and while they have only ever won five Euro qualifiers away from home, the visitors are a different beast compared to the pre-COVID era.

Cyprus and Georgia's head-to-head results book is the true definition of a mixed bag, as the hosts have three wins to their name compared to two for the Crusaders, who edged the most recent meeting 1-0 in a 2017 friendly thanks to a Giorgi Kvilitaia effort.

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The biggest story from the Cyprus camp is undoubtedly the absence of 12-goal attacker Pieros Sotiriou - who sits third in his nation's all-time scoring charts - as the Sanfrecce Hiroshima man misses out with a thigh injury.

With no Sotiriou to call upon, nine-goal Christofi will be relied upon for attacking inspiration, and the 34-year-old will become just the sixth male Cypriot to hit double figures for his country with another successful attacking endeavour here.

The hosts must also work around the suspension of left-back Nicholas Ioannou - who saw red for two bookable offences against Scotland - so two uncapped players in Anderson Correia and Kostas Pileas may battle it out for a starting role here.

Meanwhile, as many as nine Georgian players who were called up for March's matches have been cut from the ranks by Sagnol this time around, while 15-goal attacker Valeri Qazaishvili has not donned the Crusaders' colours since September 2022.

Gil Vicente midfielder Giorgi Aburjania and Copenhagen defender Davit Khocholava also feature on the visitors' absentee list, but 35-year-old captain Guram Kashia is still going strong and ought to win his 103rd cap for Georgia in the heart of the backline.

Off the back of leading Napoli to the Serie A title with 12 goals and 13 assists and being named the league's MVP, Kvaratskhelia is set to form a two-man strikeforce with Metz's Mikautadze, whose fellow France-based playmaker - Bordeaux's Zuriko Davitashvili - may support the attacking partnership.

Cyprus possible starting lineup:
Dimitriou; Andreou, Laifis, Karo; Antoniou, Gogic, Kastanos, M. Ioannou, Pileas; Christofi, Pittas

Georgia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Kakabadze, Tabidze, Kashia, Kvirkvelia, Azarovi; Gagnidze, Kvekveskiri; Davitashvili; Kvaratskhelia, Mikautadze

We say: Cyprus 0-2 Georgia

Without a key attacker in Sotiriou and going scoreless in three of their last four home games, the stage is set for a miserable Cypriot evening for Ketsbaia's troops against the ever-improving visitors.

Fatigue may very well hamper both sides at the end of a taxing domestic campaign, but the only way is up for Georgia, who should pick up their first win in Group A at the second time of asking.


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