Malta will welcome Cyprus to Ta’ Qali as both nations look to climb the group in the first game of this round of World Cup qualifying fixtures. This match is set to take place on Wednesday the 1st of September.
Malta aim to put an end to their three game winless run but they will face a difficult task in this encounter against the opponents who have been in a fine performance. Malta did not impress in their friendlies against Ireland and Kosovo and they come into this match as the underdogs.
In the opening round of World Cup Qualifying fixtures in March, Malta started with a tough home game against Russia and suffered a 3-1 defeat. The following match saw Malta manage a draw against the hosts, Slovakia.
Malta have failed to win any of their last six games in all competitions and they will be aiming to get this important victory to take their tally to four points.
On the other hand, their counterparts have a 100% winning record in h2h clashes, and they are ranked 78 places higher in the FIFA list. However, their performances on the road have not been great lately, and they have been struggling to keep clean sheets.
Cyprus had a relatively strong start to the World Cup Qualifiers, starting with a goalless draw against Slovakia. Cyprus were beaten in the recent friendly fixtures against Hungary and Ukraine in June as they moved to the Euro 2020 which had Cyprus out of action.
Cyprus hope to bounce back and continue their impressive campaign in the qualifying group with the chance to break into the top two with a victory to add on the tally of 4 points.
Malta vs Cyprus head to head
These sides have met two times since 2002 with both encounters Cyprus taking the wins. Malta haven’t won in their previous 6 matches and have lost 3 matches in a row. Cyprus on the other hand, have lost 7 away matches in a row.
- Malta 1-2 Cyprus 07/06/03
- Cyprus 2-1 Malta 20/11/02
Home
- Kosovo 2-1 Malta
- Northern Ireland 3-0 Malta
- Croatia 3-0 Malta
- Slovakia 2-2 Malta
- Malta 1-3 Russia
Away
- Ukraine 4-0 Cyprus
- Hungary 1-0 Cyprus
- Cyprus 1-0 Slovenia
- Croatia 1-0 Cyprus
- Cyprus 0-0 Slovakia
Malta team news
There are no fitness issues or any suspensions in this camp and Malta will stick to their system of 3-centre backs. Paul Mbong will be in the starting front line.
Cyprus team news
There are no injuries or suspensions too. Loannis Pittas was impressive against Slovenia and will be a key striker in this match.
Prediction and odds
- Cyprus to win
- Goals under 2.5
