Hearts vs Omonia Nicosia Prediction: Goals for both sides expected

Two sides who have struggled for form this season go head-to-head in the Uefa Conference League on Thursday night (17:45, TNT Sports 3) as Hearts host Cypriot outfit Omonia Nicosia at Tynecastle Park.

Below you can find my Hearts vs Omonia Nicosia prediction and all the latest team news.

The Jam Tarts lost eight of their opening nine matches in all competitions this season, but have begun to show signs of life in recent weeks under Neil Critchley, winning two of their last three games, including a 2-1 victory at Belarus outfit Dinamo Minsk in their tournament opener.

The Shamrock, meanwhile, have fallen away from the league leaders in the Cypriot First Division, losing three of their last four matches domestically, although they did thrash Icelandic side Vikingur Reykjavik 4-0 in their first Conference League fixture.

Team News

Critchley will be without Yutaro Oda, Calem Nieuwenhof and Gerald Taylor for this clash as they recover from injuries.

Defender Daniel Oyegoke is also a major doubt for the Jam Tarts as he has hobbled off in each of his last two league appearances.

Football Odds

Omonia head coach Valdas Dambrauskas has no new injury issues affecting his selection so a strong side is expected to be named for their trip to Edinburgh.

Former Manchester City striker Stevan Jovetic has started each of the last two matches and may keep his place, while the likes of Ewandro and Giannis Masouras will be vying for starts after coming off the bench in the 1-0 loss to Paralimni last time out.

Hearts vs Omonia Nicosia Odds

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The visitors are the minor favourites for success in this contest at 8/5, giving them an implied win probability of 38.5%, while Hearts are 7/4 (36.4%) to make it back-to-back victories in this competition.

The draw provides odds of 23/10, while Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland can be backed at 4/1 to open the scoring in this encounter.

Both Teams To Score - Yes @ 5/6

Hearts and Omonia possess the quality to get on the scoresheet and a defence that has looked shaky at times this season so the net could bulge at both ends in this contest.

Both teams to score has been a winning bet in four of Critchley’s five matches in charge of Hearts and the hosts have also scored five goals across their last two games at Tynecastle.

Omonia showed their attacking strength on matchday one and are the joint second top scorers in the Conference League in the early stages of the campaign, so backing both teams to score could be a promising bet.

Anytime Goalscorer - Andronikos Kakoullis (OMO) @ 13/5

Twenty-three-year-old forward Andronikos Kakoullis has been a bit-part player for Omonia this season but, after coming off the bench to score twice in the 4-0 over Vikingur, he could play from the start for the Cypriots on Thursday.

The academy product has three goals across his last three appearances in all competitions and is the in-form forward for the Shamrock.

Should he feature in any capacity, Kakoullis could pose a major threat to the Hearts backline.

Offers

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