Omonia – Manchester Utd : Preview & Prediction
Cyprus Cup winners Omonia Nicosia are on course to finish fourth in their UEFA Europa League (UEL) group, as they did in their first season in the competition (2020/21), having started with two defeats in the competition. However, after stringing together league wins for the first time this season before this game and with the international break in between, they are arguably in the best position to take something positive from this clash.
Those two wins were the only clean sheets in seven official matches the team played after qualifying for the UEL group stage, and although both were against teams in the bottom half of the table, they could be positive signs. The match is Neil Lennon’s first clash against Manchester United as manager after 12 games as a player (G3, E3, P6), including two in the UCL when he played for Celtic.
Manchester United are also playing in Cyprus for the first time, but have already shown that new venues don’t stop the team — they visited Sheriff Tiraspol in Moldova to win 2-0 in the previous round of the group stage. They are the only team in the competition to win the tournament (2016/17), so the English giants will be looking to continue to assert their authority after losing to Real Sociedad in the opening game of this competition.
They will also need revenge after their 6-3 thrashing in the Manchester derby against Manchester City — a defeat that also prevented them from finishing the day in the Champions League places. Despite the weekend, United will be tough opposition, and fans will be hoping to see the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been starting in European competition of late.
Players to watch: Omonia’s Brazilian, Bruno, has scored in five of his last six official games, including three goals that were his team’s first. Jadon Sancho has brought his team luck, scoring in three of the team’s five wins so far in the 2022/23 season.
Weekend stat: Only one of Omonia’s last seven meetings ended in a win for the betting favourites (E3, P3).
Omonia – Manchester Utd : Betting Tips
OVER 2.5 GOALS Odds: 2.25
