Liam Duckstein
| Prefer us on Google — see Tips.gg in Top Stories & Discover | Add on Google |
Latvia host Cyprus in the UEFA Nations League on Monday 28 September 2026, and the predicted lineups here highlight a sharp contrast in squad rotation between the two camps. Latvia’s projection is drawn from a single recent fixture, while Cyprus’s is built on the same small sample but shows a squad that barely changed at all. Both teams’ expected XIs below are best read as informed projections rather than confirmed team news.
Latvia Predicted XI
Paolo Nicolato’s side is projected in a 5-4-1, which lines up as his own preferred formation. The side looks largely settled, with 9 of the projected XI starting their last match, though that reading is based on just one previous lineup and should be treated as tentative. Daniels Balodis and Oskars Vientiess are the two names worth flagging: neither started that last match, yet both are included here on the balance of the limited evidence available, so their inclusion carries more uncertainty than the rest of the back line.
Latvia predicted XI: Rihards Matrevics; Dennis Cirkin, Antonijs Černomordijs, Deniss Meļņiks, Daniels Balodis, Oskars Vientiess; Lukass Vapne, Raivis Jurkovskis, Andrejs Cigaņiks, Dmitrijs Zelenkovs; Eduards Daskevics
| Line | # | Player | Starts in last 1 | Last 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 23 | Rihards Matrevics | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| D | 3 | Dennis Cirkin | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| D | 5 | Antonijs Černomordijs | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| D | 21 | Deniss Meļņiks | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| D | 2 | Daniels Balodis | 0/1 | 0/1 |
| D | 4 | Oskars Vientiess | 0/1 | 0/1 |
| M | 10 | Lukass Vapne | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| M | 13 | Raivis Jurkovskis | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| M | 14 | Andrejs Cigaņiks | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| M | 15 | Dmitrijs Zelenkovs | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| F | 7 | Eduards Daskevics | 1/1 | 1/1 |
Cyprus Predicted XI
Apostolos Mantzios is expected to set his side up in a 4-2-3-1, matching his own stated preference. This is a settled side – 11 of the projected XI started their last match – though, as with Latvia, that assessment rests on a single game of evidence rather than a broader run of form. Marcus Edwards and Ioannis Pittas stand out simply because every outfield starter here carried an identical record, underlining just how uniform the Cypriot selection has been in the sample used.
Cyprus predicted XI: Fabiano; Nikolas Panagiotou, Konstantinos Sotiriou, Andreas Shikkis, Giorgos Malekkidis; Hector Kyprianou, panagiotis andreou, Grigoris Kastanos, Marinos Tzionis, Marcus Edwards; Ioannis Pittas
| Line | # | Player | Starts in last 1 | Last 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | 1 | Fabiano | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| D | 3 | Nikolas Panagiotou | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| D | 5 | Konstantinos Sotiriou | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| D | 6 | Andreas Shikkis | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| D | 14 | Giorgos Malekkidis | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| M | 4 | Hector Kyprianou | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| M | 16 | panagiotis andreou | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| M | 20 | Grigoris Kastanos | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| M | 21 | Marinos Tzionis | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| M | 23 | Marcus Edwards | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| F | 9 | Ioannis Pittas | 1/1 | 1/1 |
Injuries and Suspensions
For Latvia, no absentees are recorded in the data, so the projected XI is not being shaped by any forced changes at all. With everyone available, the main competition for places comes from the bench itself, and Vladislavs Gutkovskis – who started in the sample match used here – looks the most obvious option to come into the side if Nicolato opts to rotate.
Cyprus have one confirmed absence: Konstantinos Laifis is out injured, which thins the options at centre-back for Apostolos Mantzios. None of the unused squad members listed alongside him has started in the match sample used for this projection, so there is no obvious like-for-like replacement pattern to point to beyond the back-line reshuffle his absence forces.
| Player | Pos | Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Konstantinos Laifis | D | injured | Muscle bruise |
Where These Predictions Come From
Each expected XI here is built from that team’s most recent lineup data – one match apiece in this instance – with more recent matches always weighted above older ones when more games are available. Players confirmed injured or suspended are removed before the projection is built, which is why Konstantinos Laifis does not appear for Cyprus. Because only one lineup was available for each side, these predicted lineups are necessarily tentative and will be updated, and potentially revised, once the official teams are announced.
Read also: Latvia vs Cyprus Prediction: 28.09.2026 UEFA Nations League Preview
Read also: Latvia vs Cyprus Head-to-Head: Record, Stats and Form as of 26 Sep 2026
FAQ
What formation are Latvia and Cyprus expected to play?
Latvia are projected in a 5-4-1 under Paolo Nicolato, while Cyprus are expected to set up in Apostolos Mantzios’s preferred 4-2-3-1.
Who is predicted to start in goal for Latvia vs Cyprus?
Rihards Matrevics is projected to start in goal for Latvia, with Fabiano expected to do the same for Cyprus.
Who is unavailable for Latvia vs Cyprus?
Latvia have no recorded absentees, while Cyprus are without Konstantinos Laifis, who is out injured.
When do Latvia and Cyprus kick off?
The UEFA Nations League match kicks off on Monday 28 September 2026.