Cyprus lose Laifis ahead of Armenia match

The Cyprus national team have suffered a major setback ahead of their UEFA Nations League Matchday 3 clash against Armenia. Head coach Apostolos Mantzios has confirmed that centre-back Konstantinos Laifis will miss the match due to injury.

The 32-year-old defender had previously been considered doubtful, but his absence has now been officially confirmed.

As a result, Cyprus will be without three defenders for the game against Armenia. In addition to Laifis, Konstantinos Sotiriou and Nicholas Tsaroulla will also miss the match through suspension. The absences will force Mantzios to make significant changes to his defensive line.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, the Cyprus head coach praised Armenia, describing Yeghishe Melikyan’s side as a technically strong and high-quality team.

“We are facing a very good, technical and quality team. We have two matches ahead of us and we want maximum points from both. In our previous game, I believe the team did not get what it deserved, but unfortunately, what matters in the end is the points. We have to beat Armenia if we want to keep our hopes alive of achieving the goals we have set,” Mantzios said.

The Cyprus coach also said he does not expect Armenia to adopt an overly defensive approach.

“I don’t think the opponent will play conservatively, but the most important thing is how we play ourselves,” the coach added.

Mantzios also called on Cyprus supporters to give the national team stronger backing.

“We need the fans and we need their support. They should stand by the team in both the good and the difficult moments,” he stressed.

Cyprus player Panayiotis Andreou also spoke at the press conference, saying the team is targeting six points from its next two matches.

“We want three points from both games. We are not afraid of any opponent and we will prepare properly to get the win. In our last match, we had enough shots and chances — the only thing missing was the goal,” Andreou said.

The Cyprus vs Armenia match will take place on October 2 at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and will kick off at 20:00 Yerevan time.

Melikyan ahead of Cyprus clash: “We have major absences, but we are ready to win”