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Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina return to action in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they lock horns at AEK Arena on Thursday. Both nations have had a contrasting run in the qualifiers, with Sergej Barbarez’s men looking to open up a three-point lead at the top of Group H.
Loizos Loizou and Charalampos Charalampous both found the back of the net to help Cyprus fight back from two goals down and salvage a 2-2 draw against Romania at the GSP Stadium on September 9.
Despite that valiant display, Akis Mantzios’ side have gone four straight matches without a win in the qualifiers, losing three and claiming one draw since kicking off the campaign with a 2-0 victory over San Marino on March 21.
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With just four points from a possible 15, Cyprus' qualifying dreams are all but over as they sit fourth in the Group H standings, eight points adrift of the playoff spot.
Meanwhile, Bosnia and Herzegovina were left empty-handed by Austria in their top-of-the-table clash last time out as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Bilino Polje Stadium.
Before that, Barbarez’s men were on a run of four wins from their opening four games, scoring 10 goals and keeping three clean sheets across the four matches.
With just three games to go, Bosnia currently sit top of Group H with 12 points from a possible 15, level on points with Austria, who have one game in hand.
Cyprus vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- With three wins from the last five meetings between the sides, Bosnia boast a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture, with Cyprus claiming two victories in that time.
- Their most recent encounter came in March's reverse fixture, when Ermedin Demirovic and Haris Hajradinovic hit the target to hand Bosnia a 2-1 victory at the Bilino Polje Stadium.
- Cyprus have failed to win their last five matches across all competitions, losing three and claiming two draws since March’s 2-0 victory over San Marino.
- Bosnia are unbeaten in five of their last six competitive matches, claiming four wins and one draw, having failed to win any of their nine games preceding this run (8L, 1D).
Cyprus vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Prediction
Having suffered their first defeat of the qualifiers last time out, Bosnia will journey to the AEK Arena looking to bounce back and move one step closer to a place in the World Cup.
With their qualification hopes all but over, Cyprus will be playing for pride here and we predict Barbarez’s men will do just enough to come away with all three points.
Prediction: Cyprus 1-2 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Cyprus vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Bosnia to win
Tip 2: Both sides to score - Yes (Cyprus and Bosnia have both scored in four of their last five meetings)
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have also been three or more goals scored in four of the last five clashes between the two nations)
