Omonia vs SK Rapid prediction: EUROPE: Conference League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-12-11 20:00.
[p]Three successive UEFA Conference League defeats have put a huge dent in Omonia Nicosia’s hopes of reaching the next round. The Cypriot side made a strong enough start to the league phase of the competition, beating Víkingur Reykjavík 4-0, but have since failed to even score a single goal, with those three losses leaving them outside the top 24.[/p]
[p]That latter of those fixtures, a 3-0 reversal against Legia Warsaw, also led to the departure of manager Valdas Dambrauskas, but there is still reason for the Queens to believe they can reach the knockout stage of a UEFA tournament for the first time. A 2-2 draw against APOEL in the league on Saturday means Giannis Anastasiou remains unbeaten as caretaker boss (W1, D1), while they have won eight of their 12 home games across all competitions this season (D2, L2). [/p]
[p]That record will be put to the test against a Rapid Vienna side who are one of only six unbeaten Conference League teams ahead of this round, picking up ten points from four matches (W3, D1). That form in Europe should make the Green and Whites confident that they can end a rotten record of no wins in their four previous trips to Cyprus (D1, L3), including a 3-1 defeat in their only away H2H with Omonia in 1998.[/p]
[p]The Austrian outfit last reached the knock-out phase of a European tournament in 2021/22, and are now well placed to automatically reach the round of 16. Recent form will still be a little concerning for manager Robert Klauß though, who after witnessing a 2-2 draw with Salzburg in the league at the weekend, has seen his team go four matches without a win across all competitions (D3, L1).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Omonia’s Cape Verde international Willy Semedo has scored four goals in seven Conference League appearances this term, with three of those strikes proving to be the first or last of the game. Leading the goal charge for Rapid might be Isak Jansson, who netted on his return from a long lay-off at the weekend and is now unbeaten across the last eight games in which he has scored (W4, D4).[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Four of Omonia’s last five games across all competitions have featured 3+ goals, as have four of their five home fixtures in the Conference League this season.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matt Jones[/i][/p]