Will Romania show a defiant reaction?

Romania has had a forgettable start to its group campaign. The Romanian national team has already suffered two defeats in three group matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Only against San Marino was there a victory to celebrate. At home, the “Tricolorii” are now looking to make amends and welcome the Cypriots on the fourth matchday. Our Romania vs. Cyprus prediction is for a clear win for the home side.

The two nations already met last year in the 2024/25 UNL. Romania won the last encounter against Cyprus 4-1 in front of their home crowd in November 2024. A similar result is quite likely this time around, especially as Romania will be looking to overcome their frustration after their bitter defeat against the Austrian national team.

Unlike Romania, Cyprus has not yet played a qualifying match during the current international break. Instead, they played a friendly against Bulgaria last week. The Cypriots played out a high-scoring draw (2-2). If they can carry their momentum forward, the minnows could well score against the Romanian national team.

Romania – Statistics & current form

Romania suffered their second defeat in their third match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on the last matchday. The “Tricolorii” lost the group match against Austria 1-2, with Romania’s goal in the closing stages only serving to make the result look better. They now face Cyprus at home. Romania are clear favorites going into the home game.

The two teams already met last year in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League. Romania not only won 3-0 against Cyprus in the first leg, but also prevailed 4-1 against the minnows in the return fixture. Anyone who wants to bet on the Romanian national team in Romania vs. Cyprus this time around will only get betting odds in the 1.30 range.

Since their friendly defeat against Colombia in March 2024, Romania have lost only one of their last six home games. In these six matches, the Romanian national team recorded a record of 3-2-1. Their only defeat came against Bosnia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Romania lost the home game 0-1.

Will Romania overcome its frustration against Cyprus?

The Romanian national team has scored ten goals in its last four home games. Four of these came in the home game against Cyprus in the 2024/25 UNL. The Cypriots may well fall victim to the Romanian offense again this time around. The “Tricolorii” certainly have enough offensive power to do so.

Since Euro 2024, Romania has won seven of its last nine international matches. The only defeats during this period were against Austria and Bosnia. Given the current form of the Romanian national team, it would be more than surprising if they failed to get the job done against Cyprus.

National coach Mircea Lucescu had to do without several players due to injury when selecting his squad. Nevertheless, the Tricolorii have a promising team at their disposal during the current international break. With 15 goals in 82 appearances, Nicolae Stanciu is the squad’s top scorer and one of the oldest players in the young squad.

Cyprus – Statistics & current form

Cyprus started their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a win against San Marino. In the clash between the two minnows, the Cypriots prevailed 2-0 against San Marino. However, they suffered a defeat in their next group game against Bosnia, even though Cyprus did not perform badly. The team led by national coach Akis Mantzios lost “only” 1-2.

There have been no group matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers during the current international break. Instead, Cyprus bridged the gap with a friendly against Bulgaria. The Cypriots secured a draw against the Bulgarian national team and, surprisingly, scored two goals in the process.

It remains to be seen how often the Cypriots will score this time, but an offensive spectacle is unlikely. In their last nine international matches, Cyprus has only scored two goals three times. In six of those nine matches, fewer than two goals were scored per game. It is therefore not surprising that the odds for “both teams to score” are currently above 2.00.

Will the losing streak against Romania continue?

Cyprus has lost its last two international matches against Romania, conceding seven goals in the process. However, if you still want to bet on the visitors in Romania vs. Cyprus, you can use the Betano free bet to minimize your risk. All you need to do to claim the free bet is verify your new customer account.

National coach Akis Mantzios is not expected to make any major changes to the starting line-up from the last game. His team made a positive impression against Bulgaria and were particularly convincing going forward. Pieros Sotiriou is Cyprus’ top scorer with twelve goals in 65 appearances.

However, the striker did not feature against Bulgaria. Instead, Akis Mantzios opted for Koutsakos and Foti in a 4-4-2 formation. It is quite possible that the two players will also be preferred in the group match against Romania.

Romania – Cyprus Head-to-head record / H2H record

In 15 encounters between the two nations, Romania leads the head-to-head record with a record of 11-2-1. The “Tricolorii” have won their last two international matches against Cyprus. In these two matches, both played last year, Romania scored seven goals against the Cypriots. It is quite possible that the “Tricolorii” will flex their offensive muscles again this time around.

Romania – Cyprus Tip

Romania has no room for error after its bitter defeat against Austria. The home game against Cyprus is now a must-win affair, especially as it is a mandatory task for the second-placed team in the group. The last time Cyprus visited Romania, the “Tricolorii” won 4-1.

Betting on a high-scoring encounter is an obvious choice. In nine of Romania’s last ten international matches, a bet on over 2.5 goals paid off. It is quite possible that the trend will continue against Cyprus. The minnows’ offense did not leave a bad impression recently, even scoring two goals in a friendly against Bulgaria.

However, our Romania vs. Cyprus tip is for “HT/FT: 1/1” at odds of 1.85. Oddset offers some of the best odds for a half-time/full-time bet in favor of the home side. Alternatively, bets on over 2.5 goals are also highly recommended. We are placing five units on “1/1.”