Cyprus - Norway predictions and free betting tips [12/10/2023]

On Thursday, 12th October, as part of the 7th round of the European Championship 2024 qualifiers, the Cyprus national team will face the Norwegian national side. The hosts have yet to secure a win in 2023, whilst the visitors are hoping to extend their winning streak in all competitions to four.

Predicted lineups

Cyprus: Mall; Karo, Gogic, Laifis; Andreou, Kyriakou, Ioannou, Kousoulos, Correia; Kastanos, Sotiriou.
Norway: Nyland; Ajer, Strandberg, Ostigard, Meling; Odegaard, Berg, Aursnes; Larsen, Haaland, Nusa.

Stadium

The match will be held in Larnaca at the AEK Arena.

Cyprus

The Cyprus national team has, as expected, never been able to participate in the final stage of any major competition. This will not happen in 2024 either, given they didn't earn any points after five rounds of the qualifying campaign and logically find themselves at the bottom of the table. The team has successively lost to Scotland (3:0), Georgia (1:2), Norway (3:1), again to Scotland (0:3) and, on the last match, to Spain (6:0). Only San Marino (21) and Liechtenstein (19) have conceded more goals than the white and orange (17) at this stage of qualification.

A small plus for the pupils of Temuri Ketsbaia, who hold the 120th place in the FIFA World Ranking, could be that they have avoided defeat in four out of seven recent home matches, including victories over Estonia and Greece in last year's UEFA Nations League.Cyprus clearly has a limited set of high-class performers. 

Norway

Norway needs to win at all costs to have any chances of participating in the upcoming Euro. Currently ranking third in their group, the Scandinavian squad had a poor start to the qualifiers, collecting only a single point in the first three matches against Spain (a 3:0 defeat), Georgia (1:1) and Scotland (1:2). Fortunately for their fans, in the last two matches, the visitors recorded wins over Cyprus (3:1) and Georgia (2:1) thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. With a total of 7 points, the red and blues are 2 points behind Spain, who they will play next Sunday. However, Norway's away form leaves much to be desired; they have won only three of their last eight away matches in all competitions, and two out of the last nine Euro qualifying matches.

Norway can boast a whole galaxy of stars, including Erling Haaland (Manchester City, 25 goals in 26 matches), his attack partner Sorloth (Villarreal, 16 goals in 49 matches) and playmaker Odegaard (Arsenal, 53 matches). Among other less-known top 5 European league players are goalie Nyland (Sevilla), defenders Ajer (Brentford), Meling (Copenhagen), Rijeka (Borussia Dortmund) and Ostigard (Napoli), midfielders Berg (Burnley), Thorstvedt (Sassuolo), Aursnes (Benfica) and Boub (Manchester City). Bordeaux defender Gregersen has also made the squad and may appear from the outset. The loss of centre-back Hanche-Olsen (Mainz, 14 matches), who is unavailable due to injury, is notable.

Head-to-Head

The Scandinavian team, aiming to make it to the European Championship for the first time since 2000, won all 11 previous matches against Cyprus, scoring three goals in seven occasions - including a 3:1 victory in June.

Cyprus – Norway match prediction

Cyprus is rightly considered the underdog in the upcoming match with zero points in five rounds, and a scored-conceded goal difference of 2:17. Norway not only has a much better lineup, but they have also managed to score in 14 of 16 matches since the beginning of 2022. The visitors can't afford to lose points if they want to keep their hopes alive in Group A’s best two. I expect a convincing victory from the Norwegians in Larnaca with a handicap of -1.5.

Prediction for totals

Norwegians are sure to throw in a couple of goals against the significantly lower-ranked opponent, having Haaland and Odegaard upfront. I expect the Norwegians to score at least 2 goals.

Prediction for corners

The Norwegians will take control from the get-go and start besieging the opponent's goal. I expect the visitors to win with key indicators, including corners (handicap -2.5).

Predictions for yellow cards

Cypriots are inferior to their opponent in class and will often have to foul. I'm betting on a victory for the hosts in terms of yellow cards.

Prediction for the score

I'm going to bet on the exact score of 0:3 in favour of the Norway national team.