Cyprus vs Croatia: Analysis and Prediction – Cyprus will host Croatia on home court in the EuroBasket Qualifier Round 6.
Cyprus vs Croatia Odds
Cyprus Team News
Bosnia and Herzegovina dominated Cyprus on their home court, securing a 108-62 victory and leaving their opponents at the bottom of the standings. Cyprus has faced major setbacks in all five rounds, never even coming close to causing an upset.
Although Cyprus qualified for EuroBasket as one of the host nations, their performance in these qualifiers has shown that they will not pose a significant threat in the final tournament. They have suffered heavy defeats in all five matches and were never a truly competitive opponent. The team lacks quality and clearly belongs to the lower tier of European basketball. A quick look at the statistics highlights just how far they are from serious competition. They are the worst offensive team in the qualifiers, have the lowest number of rebounds, and the poorest three-point shooting percentage. In almost every statistical category, they rank at the bottom, which is ultimately reflected in their results. Their struggles are even more pronounced without their best player in the qualifiers, Darral Willis, who averaged 17 points per game. In his absence, Simon Michail has taken on the leadership role, while Konstantinos Simitzis has also played a key role, averaging 13 points per game. Alongside him, Filippos Tigkas contributes 11.4 points per game. While these players provide scoring, the team’s biggest issue is their extremely weak defense, which fails to contain opponents.
Cyprus remains a clear underdog in the upcoming match, while the big question is how Croatia will respond after being eliminated from the EuroBasket qualifiers. If Cyprus wants to be at least a competitive opponent in the next game and build momentum for the final tournament, they must significantly improve their defense.
Croatia Team News
In the fifth round of the EuroBasket qualifiers, Croatia suffered a home defeat to France, 80-83, marking the first time they have failed to qualify for the final tournament. With a 2-3 record, Croatia was unable to advance due to an inferior head-to-head record against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This is the first time since gaining independence that Croatia has missed out on EuroBasket. The team was a major disappointment in these qualifiers, particularly struggling in defense and rebounding. Their defensive performance was especially poor, lacking physicality and aggressiveness on the ball. Another significant issue was their backcourt and overall offensive organization, where they failed to establish control. Offensively, they relied too heavily on Mario Hezonja, who delivered an outstanding performance with 37 points and 11 rebounds against France. However, without proper support from teammates and a more structured offensive approach, his efforts were not enough to secure a win. Luka Samanic provided some offensive support, but his defensive contributions were lacking. He struggled to compete on the boards and failed to stop France’s penetration, as opponents managed to neutralize his impact effectively. A particular concern was the role of Jaleen Smith, who seemed to lack a defined place in the team. While he is having a strong season with Bahcesehir, especially on defense, he has failed to make a significant impact for Croatia in any aspect of the game.
In their next match, Croatia will need to quickly move past this EuroBasket elimination and find the motivation to at least finish the qualifiers with a victory. The team is expected to field a rotated lineup, with reports suggesting that players with fewer minutes in previous games will get a chance to contribute.
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Cyprus vs Croatia H2H
Croatia has a perfect record in their three previous encounters against Cyprus. In the first round of these qualifiers, they secured a dominant 92-63 victory.
Absences and Injuries
Croatia, on the other hand, will be missing its NBA players—Dario Saric, Ivica Zubac, and Bojan Bogdanovic. Additionally, due to injuries, Luka Bozic, Filip Bundovic, Danko Brankovic, and Marko Ramljak will also be unavailable for this game.
Cyprus vs Croatia Prediction
Cyprus has been one of the least efficient teams in the qualifiers so far. Their struggles will be further compounded by the absence of their top scorer, Darral Willis. On the other hand, Croatia, after failing to qualify for EuroBasket, is expected to play with less intensity. Players who have had limited minutes in previous games will likely get more opportunities. Given these factors, we anticipate a low-scoring game.
Tip-off Time: Monday, 24.02.2025, 18:00 CET
Prediction: Under 157.5 points
Odds: 1.72
Sportsbook: 22Bet
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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