In-Form Qarabag Backed to Beat Omonia

The first leg of the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round takes place early Thursday morning, with Omonia hosting Qarabag. Qarabag have been piling up wins of late and are in excellent form, and with greater familiarity in recent years with Champions League competition, they look well placed to take the victory.

Omonia won the Cypriot First Division title last season, ending a five-year wait to be crowned champions again. However, it is worth noting that they are still in the offseason. Although they have remained unbeaten in recent friendlies, there is still significant room for improvement at both ends of the pitch, and their competitive sharpness without recent official matches remains to be seen. In addition, Omonia have not appeared in the Champions League proper since the 2021-22 season, and their competitiveness looks limited. Facing Qarabag at home this time, limiting the damage may be the best they can hope for.

Qarabag, meanwhile, are in outstanding momentum. Since mid-June, they have put together a string of victories in the domestic league, and they also beat Sutjeska in both legs in the first qualifying round of the Champions League to advance. The team are now on a seven-match winning streak in all competitions. Notably, Qarabag have scored at least two goals in every match during that run, underlining the reliability of their attack. Forward Emerson scored twice in the last game and is in fine finishing form, making him a major threat to the Omonia defence. On top of that, Qarabag reached the group stage of last season's Champions League and faced European heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Arsenal. With that experience behind them, they will be confident of claiming victory on this trip.