Scotland will look to make it five wins out of five in Group A when they continue their campaign away from home in Cyprus in Friday night's Europe 2024 qualifier. Steve Clarke's side currently top the group with 12 points, while Cyprus are bottom of the group after suffering three defeats in their opening three games.
Cyprus have never reached the finals of a World Cup or European Championship, so it was always going to be a huge challenge for them to make an impact in this very competitive Group A. The team has been in the final of the World Cup for over a decade, but they are still in the final of the World Cup. Tamur Kızbaya's side lost 0-3 to Scotland in their March 25 match and have since lost 1-2 at home to Georgia. In their last match, Cyprus lost 1-3 to Norway, which left them bottom of the group with zero points, having scored just two goals and lost eight points.
However, Cyprus drew 2-2 with Armenia in a friendly match at the end of March this year, the only time in the past year that they did not lose. But that doesn't hide the fact that they haven't won any official matches in almost a year.
For Scotland, they were knocked out of Euro 2020 after earning just one point in the tournament. They did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup, but they are in a good position to progress to next summer's European Championships, having made a flying start to the tournament in Group A. Clarke's side beat Cyprus 3-0 in their opening match before beating former world champions Spain 2-0 three days later.
Scotland's game against Spain was followed by back-to-back victories over Norway and Georgia as they amassed 12 points, eight ahead of second-placed Georgia, despite Georgia having played a game less. Clarke's side won't be taking any of the group's matches lightly, but if they win Friday's game, they will be in a good position in the group ahead of next week's friendly against...
Facing this match, Pieros Sotirio, the leading scorer in the Cyprus squad, is expected to play up front in this match. Their goalkeeper Joel Marco will only be earning his third national team cap, while Anderson Correa and Minas António will be in action for Cyprus on Friday night.
For Scotland, there won't be any big surprises in their line-up, with Kieran Tierney, Andrew Robertson, Scott McTominay and John McGinn all set to start. McGinn will play up front alongside Lynden Dykes, who has scored nine goals for his national side.
Therefore, we predict that the result of the match could be Cyprus 1-2 Scotland. Despite Cyprus having the ability to make this game uncomfortable for Scotland, we still expect the hosts to be able to score as they have talented players up front. However, Clarke's side are currently gaining momentum and we expect them to take all three points.
