Cyprus vs Serbia

AEK Arena in Larnaca is the venue as Cyprus and Serbia go head-to-head in a friendly for the first time since 2016.

After a dreadful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, which saw them lose all eight matches by an aggregate score of 28-3, Cyprus have offered their fans something to cheer about in low-profile friendlies against Lithuania (1-0) and Latvia (1-1). Despite getting on the scoresheet before the 35-minute mark in both fixtures, Cyprus’ long-standing scoring woes came to the fore again. Temur Ketsbaia’s charges have failed to find the net in four of their last nine internationals while netting precisely one goal in the remaining five. Playing Serbia can only discourage Cyprus’ offensive aspirations, knowing they’ve only bagged two goals in five historic H2Hs, though those strikes did come in their last two encounters (D1, L4).

Given their formidable H2H record, Serbia must feel relieved for taking on Cyprus after a humiliating 4-0 friendly defeat to Russia. That was the fourth time in their last five internationals that the Eagles have failed to win (D1, L3), intensifying pressure on head coach Dragan Stojkovic ahead of their first European Championship appearance as an independent country. Serbia’s defensive frailties have seen them concede multiple goals in three of their last five outings, while you’d need to go back to March 2023 for their most recent clean sheet. Since beating neighbors Montenegro 2-0 in a Euro 2024 qualifier, the Serbs have gone nine consecutive matches without a shutout, casting doubt on their lofty ambitions ahead of the upcoming tournament.