Omonia – Real Sociedad : Preview & Prediction
After four consecutive defeats in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) and poor domestic results, Omonia Nicosia’s management lost patience with Neil Lennon and ended his brief spell at the helm (29 matches). The Cypriot side enter Matchday 5 of the UEL as one of the teams that no longer have any chance of progressing beyond the group stage, and in their league they have slipped to the bottom of the standings with a run of three defeats.
The 2021-22 Cyprus Cup champions, who qualified for the play-off round prior to the group stage by winning the cup final on penalties after a 0-0 draw, are suffering from an alarming lack of goals and have now gone four official matches without a goal. The Group E bottom side have yet to score in their second UEL group stage, although they have lost narrowly to Manchester United and Real Sociedad in their last three defeats in the competition.
Having taken 12 points from a possible 12, Real Sociedad have an unbeatable opportunity to win a group stage for the first time at any level of UEFA competitions, in what is their third consecutive UEL appearance under Imanol Alguacil. It is a very marked improvement on the four total wins achieved in his previous two UEFA campaigns from the group stage to the knockout stages (G4, E8, P4).
This Thursday, Alguacil will complete 100 away matches in charge of the Txuri-urdin team in all competitions. The former player and coach from Orio has recorded a 42% win rate in 99 previous outings, and with only one defeat in his last ten European away games (G4, E5, P1), the stumble suffered at the weekend at the Jose Zorrilla (Real Valladolid 1-0 RSO) should not affect a Real that is set to certify first place in the group and a direct place in the round of 16.
Players to watch: Iranian striker Karim Ansarifard’s two goals for Omonia this season have both come at home. For Real Sociedad, Brais Mendez has been one of their standout players in the current campaign, with four of his six goal-scoring performances as a Blue and Whites in all competitions coming away from home.
Standout stat: Real Sociedad have been outscored after the break just once – when they conceded a 3-0 second-half deficit to lose 4-1 to Barcelona on Aug. 21 – this season (2T: G6, E8, P1).
Omonia – Real Sociedad : Betting Tips
Real Sociedad – Win Odds: 1.45
