Cyprus vs Armenia – News and Probable Lineups

Chipre aims to secure their inaugural victory in the international break as they host Armênia at Neo GSP on Friday for their third fixture in the Nations League C.

Currently, the home side stands in third place with one point after a goalless draw against Letônia on September 28, while Armênia occupies the second spot with three points from six available.

Match overview

In their encounter with Letônia, Chipre created more opportunities, yet they squandered both major chances and struck the woodwork on two occasions.

That draw was preceded by a 2-1 defeat against Montenegro on September 25 during the Nations League, resulting in just one victory in their last seven contests within the tournament and five losses.

The overall form of the hosts has been inconsistent; although they have only suffered one defeat in their last five matches, they have managed to secure draws on two occasions.

Apostolos Mantzios’s team has scored seven goals during this stretch, conceding five while also keeping two clean sheets.

Chipre’s home record has been troubling, having lost four of their last six matches at home, achieving victory in just one of those outings.

Armênia faced a 3-2 setback against Montenegro on September 28. Despite conceding three goals, it’s worth noting that one came from long range, and another was an own goal.

Interestingly, in five of their last eight matches, the team has allowed one or fewer goals, although they have managed to prevent opponents from scoring only once in that period.

Head coach Yegishe Melikyan might mention that the recent loss to Montenegro marked just their first defeat in four meetings; however, his squad has experienced six losses, two draws, and only one victory in their last nine outings.

The visitors have gone unbeaten in their last two matches against Chipre, winning once, yet they have struggled to overcome their hosts in four away encounters, enduring three defeats.

Armênia’s away performances have raised concerns as they have clinched victory in just one of their last 15 away matches, suffering losses in 11 of those fixtures.

Team News

Chipre will be hoping that forwards such as Marcus Edwards, Loizos Loizou, and Ioannis Pittas can find their scoring touch this time around.

In midfield, Kostakis Artymatas and Grigoris Kastanos are likely to feature together, playing just behind attacking midfielder Ioannis Kosti.

Konstantinos Sotiriou and Nikolas Panagiotou were fielded as center-backs in the match against Letônia, but the former may be substituted by Leonidas Konomis due to suspension.

For Armênia, striker Artur Miranyan is expected to receive support from wide forwards Edgar Sevikyan and Zhirayr Shaghoyan.

The defense could consist of Erik Piloyan, Argishti Petrosyan, and Georgiy Harutyunyan, with Ugochukwu Iwu and Eduard Spertsyan anchoring the midfield.

Chipre probable starting XI:

Fabiano? Pileas, Konomis, Panagiotou, Malekkidis; Artymatas, Kastanos; Edwards, Kosti, Loizou; Pittas

Armênia probable starting XI:

Cancarevic; Piloyan, Petrosyan, Harutyunyan; Bandikyan, Iwu, Spertsyan, Tiknizyan; Sevikyan, Miranyan, Shaghoyan

Both teams have not displayed impressive form of late, although Chipre has proven to be quite difficult to defeat.

Armênia’s performances on the road have been a worry, and it seems challenging to envision them taking all three points this Friday.