Kairat Almaty vs Omonia Nicosia UCL Preview
Kairat Almaty are aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they host Omonia Nicosia in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League second round qualifier.
The Kazakhstanis are usually solid at home and buoyed by the vocal support, should strike the first blow in Wednesday's clash.
Key Stats
- Kairat Almaty are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Kairat Almaty have scored first in their last five home matches in all competitions.
- Omonia Nicosia have conceded the first goal in two of their last four matches in all competitions.
Slight Edge for Omonia Nicosia
Kairat Almaty and Omonia Nicosia had drawn their two meetings prior to last week's first-leg clash in the UEFA Champions League. The Cypriots claimed a 1-0 home victory last time out.
Minor Blip for Kairat
Kairat Almaty fell to a 1-0 defeat at Omonia Nicosia in the first leg. They conceded early in the first half and despite dominating possession and creating multiple scoring opportunities, could not find the breakthrough.
While it was a disappointing result, manager Rafael Urazbakhtin will consider it a minor blip as Kairat Almaty are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions. The Kazakhstanis went back to winning ways last weekend, claiming a 2-1 home victory over Ordabasy in a domestic fixture.
The victory over Ordabasy highlights a solid home record for Kairat Almaty, who are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in front of their fans. They have a knack for striking early and have scored the first goal in the last five fixtures in this run.
Omonia Nicosia Also Looking Sharp
Omonia Nicosia put up a solid defensive display to hold on for the win in the first leg. After Panagiotis Andreou’s early strike, they played the rest of the game with 10 men following a red card to Loic Nego but were able to see out the win.
That result means Omonia Nicosia are now unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions. Henning Berg's team also seem to do some good work on their travels and are unbeaten in their last seven away matches in all competitions.
However, the chink in the armour for Omonia Nicosia is that they seem to have a habit of falling behind. They have conceded the first goal in two of their last four matches in all competitions.
Team News and Predicted Line-ups
Kairat Almaty (4-2-3-1): Temirlan Anarbekov; Erkin Tapalov, Aleksandr Martynovich, Lucas Africo, Luis Machado; Edmilson, Jaakko Oksanen; Alexander Mrynskiy, Jorginho, Oiva Jukkola; Marc Gual.
Kairat Almaty are likely to keep faith with much of the team that started the first leg. Gual should lead the line once again, with Jukkola and Jorginho providing support while Africo is set to continue in defence.
Omonia Nicosia (4-3-3): Fabiano Freitas; Stefan Simic, Senou Coulibaly, Nikolas Panagiotou, Jure Balkovec; Mateo Maric, Muamer Tankovic, Panagiotis Andreou; Ewandro, Andronikos Kakoullis, Jaden Montnor.
Omonia Nicosia will be without defender Nego, who is suspended following his red card in the first leg. Simic is likely to replace him at the back, while Kakoullis should feature in attack.