Omonia Nicosia vs Dinamo Zagreb

Omonia Nicosia face the uphill task of overturning a 2-0 deficit as they take on Dinamo Zagreb at the Neo GSP Stadium in the return leg of their Champions League qualifying tie.

A first-leg defeat ended Omonia’s run of nine competitive matches without losing (W6, D3), a run that saw them keep just three clean sheets. At home, the hosts haven’t lost any of their last five games in all competitions (W4, D1), with four of those fixtures yielding a full-time margin of under 1.5 goals. Entertainment has been relatively sparse at the Neo GSP Stadium this calendar year, with ten of their 12 competitive home matches featuring under 2.5 total goals. Worryingly, Henning Berg’s men have failed to preserve a blank sheet in their last two competitive home outings after registering two home shutouts in a row beforehand. On a positive note, though, they have found the net in five straight competitive home games after drawing a blank twice in a row.

On the other hand, the visitors have won all but one of their five competitive fixtures this season, barring a 2-0 home defeat to domestic rivals Slaven Belupo a fortnight ago. Interestingly, four of the five games won/lost in that sequence yielded a clean sheet and a winning/losing margin of 2+ goals. Away from home, the ‘Blues’ have gone winless in seven consecutive competitive matches (W5, D2) since a 2-1 loss to Villarreal in the 2020/21 Europa League quarter-finals. There’s been plenty of action in Dinamo’s recent road trips, with three of their last four competitive away contests producing over 2.5 goals. Delivering action from the onset, Damir Krznar’s men have scored the first-half opener in four of their previous five competitive travels.