Preview: Omonia vs HNK Rijeka - prediction, team news, lineups

Fighting for a spot in the Conference League's round of 16, Omonia will welcome HNK Rijeka to Neo GSP on Thursday.

The Queen are looking for a third straight win in midweek, while RJK are hoping for just their second in five games.

Match preview

Henning Berg's Omonia have been mixed in the Conference League so far, kicking off their league-phase campaign with a 1-0 defeat against Mainz 05 and ending with another 1-0 loss against Rakow, though they sandwiched a four-game unbeaten run in between.

That streak featured two victories alongside two draws, enough to see the Queen qualify for the playoffs by finishing 18th in the table, one point above the likes of Lincoln Red Imps, who did not make the cutoff.

Despite their meagre showing in Europe so far, the Cypriot First Division side will head into Thursday's showdown full of confidence given their excellent form, having won nine of they last 10 game across all competitions, most recently downing Paralimni 3-0 on Saturday.

Adding to fans' optimism will be the fact that the hosts have kept four clean sheets from their last six home matches, not to mention that they achieved an impressive 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv in front of a home crowd on November 27.

That being said, both of the Queen's losses in the league-phase came on their own turf, and supporters would be forgiven for harbouring doubts about their team's chances as a result.

Meanwhile, Victor Sanchez's Rijeka fared slightly better in the Conference League, losing their opener against Noah 1-0 before winning two and drawing three of their remaining clashes to reach this stage.

Closing out the league-phase with a five-game undefeated run will give the visitors some optimism going into the first leg, though in truth they finished 16th, just one point above their opponents in the table.

However, while Omonia have taken respite from their continental battles in domestic competitions, Sanchez's side have also found Croatia's HNL tough this season.

RJK are preparing for Thursday's clash having won only two of their five league games in 2026 - drawing two and losing one - and their 3-1 triumph over Varazdin was their first in four outings.

To make matters worse, the visitors have not won any of their away matches in the Conference League so far, playing out a 0-0 stalemate with Shakhtar Donetsk and a 1-1 draw with Lincoln.

Omonia Conference League form:

Omonia form (all competitions):

HNK Rijeka Conference League form:

HNK Rijeka form (all competitions):

Team News

Omonia will be without midfielder Mateo Maric for the first leg after his yellow card against Rakow earned him a suspension, though Carel Eiting and Panagiotis Andreou should be on hand to start in the centre of the park.

The hosts are also missing left-back Fotios Kitsos once again as he works his way back from a long-term knee injury, while right-back Giannis Masouras could sit out, so Berg could start Alpha Dionkou and new signing Jure Balkovec either side of centre-halves Senou Coulibaly and Nikolas Panayiotou.

Elsewhere, former Manchester City striker Stevan Jovetic is out with his own knee injury, so centre-forwards Muamer Tankovic and Ryan Mmaee are set to be flanked by wide men Anastasios Chatzigiovannis and Willy Semedo in the absence of Mihlali Mayambela, who has an ankle issue.

As for Rijeka, they are lighter in defence than ideal without centre-back Mile Skoric, who has also been out with a knee injury since August, and left-back Noel Bodetic, who is dealing with a broken wrist.

In their absence, expect to see a back three of Teo Barisic, Ante Majstorovic and Stjepan Radeljic on Thursday, with Ante Oric and Justas Lasickas at wing-back.

Further forward, versatile attacking midfielder Samuele Vignato has been out of action since February 1 due to a knock, and if he is not ready to return to the pitch in midweek, then Toni Fruk looks set to support Ante Matej Juric and Daniel Adu-Adjei up top.

Omonia possible starting lineup:

Fabiano; Dionkou, Coulibaly, Panagiotou, Balkovec; Chatzigiovanis, Eiting, Andreou, Semedo; Tankovic, Mmaee

HNK Rijeka possible starting lineup:

Zlomsilic; Barisic, Majstorovic, Radeljic; Orec, Petrovic, Dantas, Lasickas; Fruk; Juric, Adu-Adjei

We say: Omonia 2-1 HNK Rijeka

Omonia may have been mixed in the league-phase, but their recent domestic form will give fans some hope heading to the stadium on Thursday.

By contrast, Rijeka have struggled in Croatia, and they have fared poorly on the road so far in Europe, so it would not be surprising to see the hosts triumph.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.