Two Cyprus defenders injured ahead of Armenia match

Cyprus national team centre-backs Konstantinos Laifis and Christos Sielis are dealing with fitness problems ahead of the start of the new UEFA Nations League campaign.

Both players missed the team’s group training session in Nicosia on September 22. According to the Cyprus Football Association, Laifis and Sielis are recovering from injuries and following individual training programmes.

The defenders remain with the national team and have not been withdrawn from the squad. It is therefore too early to say whether they could miss the match against Armenia. Their condition will continue to be assessed during the international window.

The 32-year-old Laifis represents APOEL, while 26-year-old Sielis plays for Greek club OFI. Both are options at centre-back, meaning their injuries could affect Cyprus’ team selection for the upcoming fixtures.

There was better news regarding Hector Kyprianou, who joined the squad and completed training without restrictions. All other called-up players also trained with the main group.

Cyprus will hold another training session on the morning of September 23 before travelling to Podgorica. Apostolos Mantzios’ side will face Montenegro away in the opening round of the Nations League on September 25, with kick-off scheduled for 21:45 Cyprus time.

Cyprus will host Armenia on October 2 at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia. Before that encounter, the Cypriot team will also play Latvia away.

At the same time, the Armenian national team itself is dealing with a number of injuries. The following players will miss the upcoming matches: defenders Kamo Hovhannisyan, Stepa Mkrtchyan, and Edgar Grigoryan; midfielders Hovhannes Harutyunyan, Vahan Bichakhchyan, and David Davidyan; and forwards Finn Geraghossian and Grant-Leon Ranos.