Omonia vs Benfica - prediction, team news, lineups

At slightest 1 cleanable commencement is acceptable to extremity arsenic Omonia play big to Benfica astatine GSP Stadium connected Thursday for circular 3 of the Europa League league phase.

Two of lone 10 teams to person won some of their opening 2 fixtures, the Portuguese visitors beryllium 3rd successful the 36-team table, 3 places supra the Cypriot hosts connected extremity difference.

Match preview

After agonisingly missing retired connected a Champions League spot pursuing a mediocre extremity to past season’s Primeira Liga campaign, Benfica look to beryllium restoring immoderate pridefulness with their cleanable commencement successful Europe’s 2nd tier this term.

The Eagles followed an awesome opening triumph distant to AC Milan with a 4-1 thrashing of Celtic astatine the Estadio da Luz, wherever a first-half brace from Jhon Duran was followed by goals from Alexander Bah and Vangelis Pavlidis to unafraid maximum points.

The effect extended Benfica’s fantabulous tally of signifier successful the Europa League, having reached the competition’s main signifier aft overcoming St. Gallen, Hearts and Aarhus successful the qualifying rounds.

Marco Silva’s broadside person present won each of their past 4 continental outings, scoring aggregate goals successful each match, portion they person besides recorded victories successful 10 of their past 11 games crossed each competitions (L1).

With nary home enactment implicit the weekend, Benfica, who presently beryllium 2nd successful the Primeira Liga table, question to Nicosia good rested and tin gully further assurance from winning 5 of their past six distant matches crossed each competitions (L1), though their lone decision during that tally came connected their astir caller trip.

Omonia, meanwhile, caput into this brushwood aft recovering from a two-goal shortage to unafraid a 2-2 gully against metropolis rivals Olympiacos Nicosia astatine the weekend, leaving Henning Berg’s broadside 3rd successful the Cypriot First Division table, 3 points disconnected the summit.

The effect extended the Queen’s unbeaten tally crossed each competitions to 7 matches (W5, D2), though it brought a four-match winning streak to an end, with that series including a 1-0 triumph distant to Celta Vigo connected the opening matchday of the league signifier and a 3-0 triumph astatine Celje past week.

One of conscionable 3 sides yet to concede successful this season’s Europa League league phase, Omonia person besides been hard to interruption down connected their ain turf, keeping 11 cleanable sheets successful their past 20 continental location matches portion winning 15 of those encounters (D1, L4).

The Shamrock person besides avoided decision successful their past 15 matches astatine GSP Stadium crossed each competitions (W10, D5), though that grounds volition look a stern trial against a Benfica broadside who won some erstwhile meetings betwixt the teams during the 1981 European Cup campaign.
 

Omonia Europa League form:

Omonia signifier (all competitions):

Benfica Europa League form:

Benfica signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Benfica are expected to stay without Jakob Kaminski, who is recovering from a thigh wounded sustained connected planetary duty, portion Enzo Barrenechea is sidelined pursuing country connected a meniscus injury.

Teenage sensation Daniel Banjaqui did an fantabulous occupation astatine right-back during a shortage of options successful the position, though helium is besides a uncertainty for Thursday’s lucifer owed to a musculus injury.

It remains to beryllium seen whether caput manager Silva volition clasp the lineup from Benfica’s erstwhile continental outing aft astir a week’s rest, with Duran pushing for different commencement up beforehand pursuing his brace, though the erstwhile Fulham brag could callback first-choice striker Pavlidis.

Omonia person avoided immoderate caller wounded concerns successful caller outings, but Carel Eiting remains sidelined with a superior genu wounded sustained successful July, portion Fotis Kitsos is nearing a instrumentality from the cruciate ligament wounded helium suffered successful January.

Costa Ewandro appears to beryllium rediscovering his decisive interaction aft scoring to animate Omonia’s comeback astatine the weekend, 4 days aft providing an assistance successful the Europa League against Celje, and could clasp his spot connected the flank.

After missing a stoppage-time punishment against Olympiacos Nicosia, Lois Diony recovered the nett to gain Omonia a constituent and extremity his six-match scoring drought, with the guardant apt to pb the enactment connected Thursday.

Omonia imaginable starting lineup:

Fabiano; Duverne, Coulibaly, Satka, Balkovec; Andreou, Tankovic, Maric; Ewandro, Diony, Montnor

Benfica imaginable starting lineup:

Trubin; Bah, Araujo, Lenglet, Banjaqui; Palhinha, Aursnes; Prestianni, Sudakov, Schjelderup; Duran

We say: Omonia 1-2 Benfica

Both teams person made fantabulous starts to this season’s Europa League league phase, and Omonia person proved resilient connected location soil, but facing a Benfica broadside with greater European pedigree and superior idiosyncratic prime presents a sterner challenge, truthful we are backing the visitors to borderline this contest.
 

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.