Euro 2024 Group A Previews: Spain vs Cyprus and Norway vs Georgia

We have two important games to look forward to on Tuesday night as Spain, Cyprus, Norway and Georgia continue their Euro 2023 qualification campaign. Let’s take a look at each game in our comprehensive match previews.

Spain vs Cyprus

Spain and Cyprus will face off in a UEFA European Championship qualifying match on Tuesday, September 12th, 2023, at the Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes in Granada, Spain. If you want to attend the game, supporters can still buy UEFA Euro 2024 tickets at Seatsnet.com and there should be plenty available as this game is unlikely to sell out.

Overview

Spain’s recent success in the UEFA Nations League has fueled their momentum into the European Championship qualifying campaign. They clinched the Nations League title by defeating Italy and Croatia. In their latest qualifier, Spain displayed their dominance by demolishing Georgia 7-1. Despite earlier victories against Norway, they stumbled against Scotland.

In the coming month, Spain faces Scotland and Norway, their top rivals for a top-two finish in the group. With challenging fixtures ahead, they cannot afford a misstep in Granada.

On the other hand, Cyprus has struggled, maintaining their role as Group A’s underdogs. In their recent match, they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Scotland, with all goals coming in the first half-hour. Cyprus has yet to earn a point in this campaign, conceding 11 goals while scoring just two. They’ve won only four of their last 31 competitive matches and are currently on a five-match losing streak for the first time since 2012.

Cyprus hopes to avoid a six-match losing streak in competitive matches, a feat they haven’t experienced in 17 years.

Spain Team News

Spain’s young sensation, 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, made headlines by scoring off the bench in Tbilisi against Georgia. so could he start this time?

Well, given that Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Pedri have all pulled out due to injury, Lamine and fellow scorer against Georgia Nico Williams could get the nod out-wide.

And Alejandro Balde may step in for José Luis Gayà at left-back, and the experienced Azpilicueta on the right, while Unai Simón continues as the first-choice goalkeeper. It would also be possible to try Zubimendi instead of Rodri, so that Martin would play deeper alongside Fabian Ruiz and Pedri, but the coach knows better in this case.

Cyprus Team News

Speaking of shot-stoppers, Joël Mall is Cyprus’ new number one, having switched allegiance from Switzerland earlier this year.

Pieros Sotiriou is the top-scorer in the squad with 12, although his last international goal came in March 2022.

Cyprus hasn’t reported any fresh injuries after their loss to Scotland, but changes in the lineup are anticipated. However, there are players like Castanos, there’s Laifis and Tziolis, Kousoulos and Michael Ioannou played half-time against Scotland – so both can start in Granada. Plus, they can involve young players in advance for the future.

Predictions

Cyprus has conceded three goals in each of their matches except when playing at home against Georgia, where they allowed two.

Of course, statistics are a somewhat peculiar thing, but considering the style of play by the Cypriots, it can still be assumed that Spain, even with squad rotation, will confirm their status as the clear favorite.

Even if Spain struggles to find the net, they are expected to secure a comfortable victory against Cyprus. It’s likely that Spain will establish a significant goal difference, particularly in the first half, mirroring their performance in Tbilisi. Cyprus, even on home turf, conceded thrice against Scotland in the first half-hour, indicating a challenging task ahead against “La Furia Roja.”

Norway vs Georgia Preview

As Norway aims to secure their second victory in Group A, they face off against Georgia in an exciting Euro 2024 qualification showdown. Let’s delve into the details:

Overview

Currently sitting in third place with four points, Norway trails second-placed Spain by just two points in Group A. Meanwhile, Georgia occupies the fourth spot, also with four points from their initial four matches.

Norway has encountered challenges in Group A, winning only one of their four games. Despite their third-place position, they remain just two points behind Spain, who have a game in hand. Norway must string together positive results to stay in contention.

The Lions are only two points behind second-placed Spain, but La Roja have a game in hand, and Norway could quickly find themselves out of contention if they are unable to put a run of positive results together.

Stale Solbakken’s team began their campaign with a 3-0 loss to Spain but managed to secure a draw with Georgia and suffered a defeat to Scotland. They rebounded with a 3-1 victory over Cyprus in their last group game.

Georgia, on the other hand, faced a 7-1 thrashing loss by Spain, leaving them with four points in Group A, trailing Norway on goal difference.

Their journey started with a 1-1 draw against Norway at the end of March before recording a 2-1 victory over Cyprus in their second match in the section in the middle of June.

However, they faced a 2-0 defeat to Scotland in their third game before the staggering loss to Spain, emphasizing the significance of a positive result in this fixture.

Team News

Norway Team News

Erling Haaland, was absent against Jordan on Thursday, but the Manchester City forward is set to feature in the starting lineup, alongside Markus Solbakken and Jorgen Strand Larsen in the attacking third.

Martin Odegaard, the captain, will feature in a three-man midfield on Tuesday with Patrick Berg and Fredrik Aursnes while Leo Skiri Ostigard will maintain his presence in the heart of the defense.

Georgia Team News

Despite their heavy loss to Spain, Georgia’s head coach Sagnol is expected to make some changes to their lineup due to the nature of the performance. Anzor Mekvabishvili, Zuriko Davitashvili, and Lasha Dvali are likely to start.

Giorgi Chakvetadze, who scored as a substitute against Spain, is anticipated to be in the starting XI against Norway. Napoli’s Khvicha Kvartashkelia remains a key player and he will again feature in the attack.

Predictions

Expect an improved performance from Georgia compared to their last match against Spain. However, Norway boasts two Premier League stars in Odegaard and Haaland, making them strong contenders for a home win. Our prediction is: Norway 2-1 Georgia in this exciting encounter.