Omonia and Benfica enter their 22 October 2026 meeting on matchday three of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase with two wins from two matches and six points apiece. Benfica have scored six goals and conceded one; Omonia have scored four and have yet to concede in this phase. Equal points do not mean identical campaigns or guarantee early qualification.
On the eve of the game in Nicosia, their squad situations differ: Marco Silva confirmed five Benfica absences and announced that Claudio Echeverri would start. Omonia named a 22-player squad without injured defender Senou Coulibaly. Both complete official starting XIs still await their pre-match announcements.
When and where is Omonia v Benfica?
The fixture is scheduled for Thursday, 22 October, at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus. Kick-off is scheduled for 22:00 local time in Cyprus (EEST, UTC+3), equivalent to 20:00 in mainland Portugal (WEST, UTC+1) and 16:00 in Brasília (UTC-3). These are different time zones for the same match, not separate fixtures or broadcasts.
What happened in the first two matchdays?
UEFA's published results show two unbeaten starts against different opponents. Benfica beat Milan 2-0 away from home before defeating Celtic 4-1 at home. Omonia overcame Celta 1-0 in Nicosia and then won 3-0 away to Celje.
| Team | Matchday 1 | Matchday 2 | Played | Goals for | Goals against | Goal diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benfica | Milan 0-2 Benfica | Benfica 4-1 Celtic | 2 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
| Omonia | Omonia 1-0 Celta | Celje 0-3 Omonia | 2 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 6 |
Benfica have a goal difference of plus five; Omonia's is plus four. The one-goal difference between those figures is only a snapshot of the first two matches, not sufficient evidence that either team is superior ahead of this fixture. Their first opponents were not the same.
What is confirmed about Benfica's squad?
In his 21 October press conference, Marco Silva confirmed that Daniel Banjaqui, Enzo Barrenechea, Jakub Kamiński, Leandro Barreiro and Jhon Durán were unavailable for the trip. He said the number of absences limits opportunities to rotate in certain positions. Those are pre-match confirmed absences, not speculation about the starting XI.
Benfica travelled with 24 players, according to the squad list published by Bola na Rede. Young players Arnas Voitinovicius, Tiago Freitas and Gonçalo Moreira were among those called up. Selection for the travelling squad does not establish that a player will appear, play any minutes or start.
One piece of information has a different status from a predicted lineup: Marco Silva said Claudio Echeverri would start. That is a decision publicly announced by the head coach, but it does not constitute publication of the official starting XI by the competition organisers. The other ten starters can only be treated as official once the relevant lineup is announced.
How did Omonia finish their preparations?
The Cypriot club announced on 21 October that preparations had ended and named 22 players for Benfica's visit. Defender Senou Coulibaly was left out due to injury, according to AlphaNews Cyprus reporting on the squad announcement. The same report distinguished six other players not included on the club's European squad list, an eligibility matter that should not be mistaken for injury.
Omonia are coached by Henning Berg. They won their first two league-phase games without conceding, but a 180-minute sample cannot establish that they will defend the same way against Benfica. Likewise, a travelling or matchday squad list does not by itself establish the starting XI.
How would a win, draw or defeat affect the points?
Both sides begin matchday three on six points. The winner will move to nine while the loser stays on six; a draw would take both teams to seven. These are the mathematical points outcomes of this fixture, not a forecast of their positions in the overall standings, which also depend on the other 34 clubs and tiebreaking criteria.
UEFA ranks 36 clubs in one league table, although each side faces only eight opponents in the league phase. After eight matchdays, the top eight advance directly to the round of 16; clubs ranked ninth through 24th enter the knockout phase play-offs; those ranked 25th through 36th are eliminated. No result on matchday three alone guarantees any of those final placings.
What is still unconfirmed?
As checked on 21 October 2026, this is a pre-match preview rather than live coverage. Neither complete starting XI has been confirmed; the travelling squads, confirmed absences and Echeverri's announced starting role are different types of information. This article contains no Omonia v Benfica result and no tactical forecast presented as observed match action. Standings and player availability need to be checked again before publication or any update after kick-off.
Sources and references
- UEFA: 2026/27 league-phase fixtures and results
- UEFA: league standings and tiebreaking rules
- UEFA: Omonia v Benfica match page
- RTP: Benfica press conference and absences, 21 October
- Bola na Rede: Benfica's 24-player travelling squad
- Omonia: 21 October training and squad announcement
- AlphaNews Cyprus: Coulibaly and Omonia's squad
