Omonia Nicosia battle Kairat Almaty in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
Both teams come into this first-leg clash in good form and look particularly sharp going forward. They could be set to serve up an open contest in this one.
Key Stats
- Omonia Nicosia have scored in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Omonia Nicosia have conceded in four of their last five matches.
- Kairat Almaty have scored in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Kairat Almaty have conceded in eight of their last 10 away matches in all competitions.
Two Previous Meetings
Omonia Nicosia and Kairat Almaty met twice during the group stage of the 2021 UEFA Conference League, with both matches ending in 0-0 draws.
First Competitive Outing for Omonia
The Cyprus League ended back in May, and Omonia Nicosia have been on break from competitive action. Henning Berg’s team only returned to the pitch this month and have been involved in preseason friendlies.
The good news for Omonia Nicosia is that things have been smooth in preseason as they are unbeaten in four friendly matches. They head into this clash off the back of a 2-0 victory over Panetolikos in their previous fixture.
One thing that Omonia Nicosia have shown lately is their attacking quality, scoring in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions. However, they have looked shaky at the back, conceding in four of the last five fixtures in this run.
Kairat Almaty Looking Sharp
Kairat Almaty played the first round of the Champions League and did the double over Sutjeska for a 4-1 aggregate victory. They began with a 2-1 home triumph in the first meeting before claiming a 2-0 away win in the second leg.
Those two results are part of a solid run for Kairat Almaty, who have won their last six matches in all competitions. Rafael Urazbakhtin's team warmed up for the trip to Nicosia with a 3-1 victory at Atyrau in a domestic fixture last weekend.
One similarity with the hosts is that Kairat Almaty have also shown some attacking quality lately, scoring in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions. However, they are without a clean sheet in eight of their last 10 away matches.
Team News and Predicted Line-ups
Omonia Nicosia (4-2-3-1): Fabiano; Moses Odubajo, Senou Coulibaly, Nikolas Panagiotou, Jure Balkovec; Panagiotis Andreou, Mateo Maric; Ewandro Costa, Mihlali Mayambela, Jaden Montnor; Andronikos Kakoullis.
Omonia Nicosia gave a run-out to several first-team players in their last preseason friendly and could stick to much of the team that started that game. Kakoullis should lead the line again after netting a brace, while Maric should feature in midfield, with Coulibaly set to continue at the back.
Kairat Almaty (4-2-3-1): Temirlan Anarbekov; Alexander Mrynskiy, Alexandr Shirobokov, Lucas Africo, Luis Machado Mata; Adilet Sadybekov, Jaakko Oksanen; Ismail Bekbolat, Jorginho, Oiva Jukkola; Marc Gual.
Kairat Almaty made smooth progress through the first round and should keep a similar team to the one that did the double over Sutjeska. Jorginho and Bekbolat were on target last time out and should feature in this one, while Mrynskiy is set to start in defence.