In the upcoming Euro 2024 qualification match, Spain will be looking to secure consecutive wins in Group A as they face Cyprus on Tuesday night.
After a resounding 7-1 victory over Georgia, La Roja currently sits in second place in the group. On the other hand, Cyprus, who are at the bottom with zero points, suffered a 3-0 defeat against Scotland in their last outing.
Spain faced pressure ahead of their match against Georgia due to their previous loss against Scotland in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
However, their confidence received a boost from their UEFA Nations League success in June. They displayed an excellent performance against Georgia, clinching a 7-1 victory. Alvaro Morata scored a hat-trick, while Lamine Yamal made history by becoming Spain’s youngest-ever player and goalscorer.
Luis de la Fuente’s side now has six points in the group standings, two points ahead of third-placed Norway.
Although they are still nine points behind leaders Scotland, Spain has two games in hand and an advantage over Norway.
Having won the European Championship in 2008 and 2012, Spain aims to regain their glory after early exits in the 2016 competition and reaching the semi-finals in Euro 2020.
For Cyprus, it has been a challenging qualifying campaign. They have scored just twice and conceded 11 goals, making it difficult for them to compete for a top-two spot.
Despite never qualifying for the finals of a major tournament, Cyprus has shown promise in their last two European Championship qualification campaigns, winning seven matches. However, their performance in this section has been notably poor.
Next month, Cyprus will face Norway and Georgia in their remaining qualification matches before concluding their campaign at home against Spain in November.
While they have lost seven out of their previous eight encounters against Spain, Cyprus did manage to secure a 3-2 victory during the Euro 2000 qualification.
Team News:
Spain’s Marco Asensio and Dani Olmo will miss the match due to injuries. In their absence, Ferran Torres and Yeremy Pino have been called up to the squad.
This change will likely result in Yamal and Nico Williams being introduced into the front three. Yamal, who made Spain history with his goal against Georgia, may earn his first international start.
Additionally, Alejandro Balde could replace Jose Gaya at left-back, while Fabian Ruiz is expected to retain his place in central midfield.
Cyprus has not reported any fresh injury concerns after their defeat to Scotland. However, there may be a couple of changes in the lineup.
Ioannis Pittas and Michalis Ioannou impressed as substitutes in the last match and could be given starting roles.
Alex Gogic is also in contention, but Charalambos Kyriakou and Charalambos Charalambous should maintain their positions in the starting XI.
Possible Starting Lineups:
Spain:
- Simon
- Carvajal
- Le Normand
- Laporte
- Balde
- Ruiz
- Rodri
- Gavi
- Yamal
- Asensio
- N Williams
Cyprus:
- Mall
- Karo
- Laifis
- Roberge
- Antoniou
- Kyriakou
- Ioannou
- Charalampous
- Correia
- Kastanos
- Pittas
Prediction:
Considering Cyprus’ struggles in Group A, it is unlikely that they will achieve a positive result against Spain.
La Roja’s dominant performance against Georgia indicates their strength, and they are expected to secure another three points at home. Our prediction is a comfortable 3-0 victory for Spain.