Latvia vs Cyprus – News and Probable Lineups

Latvia and Cyprus will clash in search of their first points of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League campaign when they square off at Stadions Skonto on Monday.

The home side was beaten 2-0 in their initial Group 2 match, whereas the visitors faced a 2-1 defeat in their opening game.

Match overview

Latvia just managed to keep their position in League C of the UEFA Nations League after securing a 2-0 aggregate victory in the relegation/promotion play-off final against Gibraltar.

The two 1-0 victories mark their only wins in the last 14 matches, during which they have managed five draws and suffered seven losses.

The most recent defeat came during their first match of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League against Armenia on Friday night, where they were defeated 2-0 thanks to goals from Georgiy Harutyunyan and Artur Gharibyan.

Consequently, Latvia finds themselves at the bottom of League C Group 2 with a -2 goal difference, putting manager Paola Nicolato under pressure to secure a victory and move away from the relegation playoff zone on Monday.

The visitors Cyprus are just above the bottom team on goal difference, sitting at -1 following their heartbreaking late loss to Montenegro on Friday evening.

Cyprus, who ended third in League C Group 2 in 2024-25 to retain their position in the third tier of the Nations League, initially took a 1-0 lead before goals from Nikola Krstovic and Milutin Osmajic turned the match around for Montenegro, leading to a 2-1 defeat for Cyprus.

This defeat marked Apostolos Mantzios’ team’s first loss since March 2026, ending a streak of two wins and one draw in their previous three international friendly matches.

Cyprus will be keen to bounce back and avoid dropping to the bottom of the Group 2 table, and a repeat of their 1-1 draw against Latvia in 2024 would be enough for them to stay narrowly ahead of the hosts.

Team News

Latvia struggled during the full 90 minutes in the defeat to Armenia, prompting Nicolato to consider making adjustments for an improved performance on Monday.

This may lead to the inclusion of Oskars Vientiess, Roberts Uldrikis, and Maksims Tonisex in the starting XI.

For Cyprus, Marcus Edwards found the net against Montenegro and is expected to retain his place alongside Ioannis Pittas and Marinos Tzionis in the offensive line.

In midfield, Hector Kyprianou should keep his position as the anchor, while central defence will likely feature Nikolas Panagiotou and Constantinos Sotiriou.

Latvia probable starting XI:

Matrevic; Melnik, Cernomordy, Vienties; Tonisex Vapne, Zelenkox Cirkin; Daskevics, Gutkoxis, Uldrikis

Cyprus probable starting XI:

Fabiano? Shikkis, Sotiriou, Panagiotou, Malekkidis; Edwards, Andreou, Kyprianou, Kastanos, Tzionis; Pittas

Although Cyprus incurred a loss in their initial fixture, they displayed several positive aspects, unlike Latvia, who were outplayed throughout their match against Armenia.

Moreover, Cyprus appears to have more quality in the attacking department with players like Pittas and Edwards, which might lead them to a potential victory.