Cyprus vs Austria Prediction 16 November 2025

🔊 Can Austria bounce back from their recent setback in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers? Their final match of the October qualifying cycle ended in a surprising defeat to Romania in Bucharest. While that fiasco didn't alter the standings in Group H, it did narrow Bosnia and Herzegovina's gap to the top, where Austria currently sit, to just two points. This time, the "Red-Whites" face an even longer trip to Cyprus. The islanders have already lost their chances of making it to the World Cup, but they're determined to make a statement. After all, they remain unbeaten at the "Alphamega Stadium" in the current qualifiers. Which team will rise to the occasion for this upcoming clash? Our editorial team will assess the odds for both sides.

Head-to-Head

🔊 The national teams are set to play their second match in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. They haven't crossed paths in other tournaments in the 21st century. The first head-to-head ended with a narrow victory for Austria (1-0). However, Cyprus impressed on the road: even with minimal possession (21% to 79%), they managed to outshoot their opponents (16 shots to 10).

Cyprus Team Overview

The Cypriots began their current qualification campaign with four consecutive defeats, finally earning their first points in September. Since the final match of that cycle, Apostolos Mantzios' team have remained unbeaten, securing two draws and a victory. While the triumph over San Marino (4-0) was expected, the draws against Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2) and Romania (2-2) showcased the team's strength on home turf. The hosts at "Alphamega Arena" outperformed both opponents in possession (averaging 62%) and expected goals (2.07 xG). However, their chances of reaching the World Cup qualification playoffs have vanished, as they trail the second spot by five points with only one game remaining.

The Cyprus national team traditionally excels against smaller nations, though they themselves aren't world-beaters, sitting at 125th in the FIFA rankings. Their class was evident in the last qualifying match away against San Marino (4-0). The visitors pinned their opponents back (71% to 29% possession) and nearly tripled the hosts in shots (18 to 5) and expected goals (2.92 to 1.01).

Austria Team Overview

Heading into the final match of the October World Cup qualifying cycle, Austria were riding an impressive five-game winning streak. While some victories weren't as emphatic as their demolition of San Marino (10-0), they did manage to edge out key playoff contenders like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania with identical 2-1 scorelines. However, Austria didn't display overwhelming dominance in those encounters, even being outshot by Bosnia (11 to 16) and trailing in expected goals (1.31 xG to 1.92 xG). Nevertheless, the "Red and Whites" maintained territorial control, averaging 60.5% possession against these opponents.

Austria's winning streak came to a halt in their final qualification match, an away fixture in Bucharest against Romania (0-1). The "Red and Whites" once again dominated possession, though the margin wasn't as significant this time (54% to 46%). Both teams struggled creatively, but the visitors appeared particularly lackluster in attack, managing only three shots with a total xG of 0.15, while the Romanians took 10 shots with an xG of 0.58.

Latest news

Cyprus

❌ Cyprus's victory over the modest San Marino side came at a steep price. Three key players picked up yellow cards, ruling them out for the upcoming match against Austria. Kostas Pileas, Ioannis Pittas, and Konstantinos Laifis will be absent. The absence of the latter two is particularly significant. Pittas is the team's top scorer in the current qualifiers with three goals, while Laifis has been a longstanding leader in the islanders' defense.

Austria

🎙 Austria's head coach shared his thoughts on the defeat to Romania in their latest World Cup 2026 qualifier. "We envisioned this game differently. Of course, we're not satisfied with the result, but we need to move forward. We simply couldn't bring the intensity to the field, especially in the first half. In the second half, we were unlucky with the late goal. We have two final qualifiers ahead, and we know what we need to achieve success there," said Ralf Rangnick.

❌ As they approach the upcoming qualifying cycle, Austria will be without three defenders. Maximilian Wöber and Gernot Trauner have been sidelined with injuries since the summer. Following the October international break, national team captain David Alaba was ruled out after playing for Real Madrid.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The main referee for the match is Urs Schnyder from Switzerland. His average number of yellow cards over the last 20 matches in the Swiss Super League stands at 4.4. In their last five games, the Austrians have received 10 yellow cards, while the Cypriots have picked up 13. This upcoming clash promises to be intense, especially for the "Red-Whites," who cannot afford any slip-ups if they aim to secure a direct spot in the World Cup. The first head-to-head in Linz featured few goals (one from Austria) but plenty of battles (four warnings). Therefore, in Limassol, we expect the total yellow cards to exceed 3.5.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

The Austrians have recently struggled on the road. After a successful EURO 2024 campaign, where they defeated the Dutch 3-2 in the group stage, the "Red-Whites" have failed to score more than two goals in 6 of their last 7 matches. The only exception was a 4-0 thrashing of San Marino. The Cypriots are unbeaten at home in their last four games, during which they've conceded no more than two goals in any match. We anticipate that Ralf Rangnick's primary focus will be on securing a result rather than an emphatic victory. Therefore, we predict that Austria will not score more than 2.5 goals.

🚩 Corner Prediction

The Cyprus national team performs exceptionally well at home. Their goals against strong opponents do not come out of nowhere. Against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania, the islanders maintained an average possession rate of 62%. Undoubtedly, they will have to concede ball control to the Austrians in the upcoming match. However, pinning the hosts back will be challenging. Cyprus has never earned fewer than three corners throughout this qualifying stretch. We believe that in Limassol, Cyprus will have more than 2.5 corners.

The motivation levels of both national teams align closely with the odds. For Austria, winning their remaining matches is crucial to avoid relying on other results. Cyprus, on the other hand, are out of the playoff race, but matches without pressure often yield impressive performances. In each of their last four home games, the islanders have scored two goals apiece. Scoring against Austria will be challenging, but they have a decent shot at finding the net once more. The main concern is how many they will concede, especially with two key defenders missing from their lineup. We predict that the "Red-Whites" will outscore their opponents and secure a win (2-1). Given these circumstances, betting on over 2.5 total goals seems like a solid choice.