Omonia Nicosia vs Manchester United Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Manchester United will hope to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Omonia Nicosia at the GSP Stadium on Thursday.

The UEFA Europa League resumes this week with Matchday 3 of the group stage. And Manchester United will aim to remain within touching distance of Real Sociedad when they lock horns with Omonia Nicosia at the GSP Stadium on Thursday evening.

Omonia Nicosia’s 2022/23 campaign has been a rollercoaster ride. The Cypriot giants are currently fourth in the league standings after winning three of their five games thus far. Their fortunes have been even worse in the UEFA Europa League, with Neil Lennon’s charges sitting at rock bottom in Group E after suffering defeats to Sheriff Tiraspol and Real Sociedad.

On the other hand, Manchester United’s recent inconsistent run has shown no signs of ending. The Red Devils have won twice and lost as many games in their last four outings, with the latest result being a 6-3 defeat to Manchester City. Erik ten Hag’s charges are currently second in Group E in the Europa League, ahead of Sheriff and Omonia and behind Real Sociedad.

Thursday’s clash will be the first meeting between Manchester United and Omonia Nicosia. And The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the UEFA Europa League encounter ahead of the first match-up featuring the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Omonia Nicosia

Neil Lennon does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Manchester United. On Thursday, the Omonia Nicosia manager will likely be without one first-team player.

Moreto Cassama might continue on the sidelines with the injury he sustained against Real Sociedad. Hector Yuste was fit enough to be on the bench for Omonia’s game on the weekend and should feature against Manchester United.

Yuste will join Nemanja Miletic and Nikolas Panagiotou in the central defensive unit, with Fabiano taking his spot between the sticks. Adam Matthews and Jan Lecjaks will be the two wing-backs, who will often drop deep to form a back five during the defensive phases, looking to contain the Manchester United attackers.

Charalambos Charalambous will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park, with Fotis Papoulis and Mix Dikserud providing him defensive support. Papoulis will also look to slice open the Manchester United defence with his incisive passes. Finally, Bruno Felipe and Karim Ansarifard will form the strike partnership for Omonia.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Fabiano; Miletic, Yuste, Panagiotou; Matthews, Papoulis, Charalampous, Dikserud, Lecjaks; Ansarifard, Bruno

Manchester United

Unlike his counterpart in the Omonia Nicosia dugout, Erik ten Hag has new roster issues to deal with ahead of the trip to the GSP Stadium. The Manchester United boss will be without four first-team players on Thursday.

Harry Maguire remains on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the international break. In addition, Raphael Varane has missed the trip to Cyprus after picking up an ankle issue on Sunday against Manchester City. Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are also out of the travelling squad.

Martin Dubravka is in Manchester United’s travelling party and should make his debut for the Red Devils against Omonia. Manchester United will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him. Victor Lindelof should replace Varane, pairing up with Lisandro Martinez, with Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot being the two full-backs.

Casemiro and Fred will have the chance to impress against Omonia, with the duo forming the double pivot in the middle of the park. Bruno Fernandes will be Manchester United’s third midfielder, reprising his usual no. 10 role.

Anthony Martial was impressive off the bench this past weekend and should make his first start of the season. Martial will join Anthony Elanga and Cristiano Ronaldo in the final third. The latter will spearhead the Manchester United attack against Omonia.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dubravka; Dalot, Lindelof, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Elanga, Bruno Fernandes, Martial; Ronaldo

Key Stats

• Manchester United will be the third English club to face Omonia Nicosia in a major UEFA competition, after Arsenal in the 1994/95 Cup Winners’ Cup and Manchester City in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup. The Cypriot side lost all four matches.
• Thursday’s clash will be Manchester United’s first ever European outing against a team from Cyprus. The only previous Premier League side to face a Cypriot club in the UEFA Europa League were Everton in 2017/18 (v Apollon Limassol).
• Excluding qualifiers, Omonia Nicosia have won just one of their last 26 matches in major European competition (D6 L19), picking up a 2-1 home win over PAOK Salonika in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League.
• Manchester United have won five of their last six away games in the UEFA Europa League, with the exception being a 3-2 loss at AS Roma in the 2020/21 semi-final.
• Bruno Felipe has been involved in 64% of Omonia Nicosia’s 11 shots in the Europa League this season (4 shots, 3 chances created). That is the highest ratio of any player in the competition this term.

Player to Watch

Cristiano Ronaldo

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Starts have come at a premium for Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2022/23 season. And his ego would have been bruised after failing to rake in even one minute in the Manchester Derby. While Erik ten Hag said the decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench was a mark of “respect”, the veteran striker will be eager to make his mark against Omonia Nicosia.

Ronaldo has seldom encountered such situations where he is a bit-part player for his team. But he can only become a regular again by delivering match-winning performances for Manchester United. And after a decent performance against Sheriff Tiraspol, the 37-year-old will be eager to make his mark on Thursday.

Prediction

Omonia Nicosia 1-3 Manchester United

Omonia Nicosia might be the bottom feeders in the UEFA Europa League Group E. But they have shown that they can give big teams a cause for concern. And with Manchester United having a soft underbelly, the hosts will have the chance to spring a surprise on Thursday.

But the visitors are travelling to Cyprus with a strong squad. And Erik ten Hag will have enough quality on the bench to ensure three points on the day. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought contest at the GSP Stadium, with Manchester United clinching a 3-1 win over Omonia.