A place in the UEFA Europa Conference League is up for grabs as Gent and APOEL Nicosia go toe-to-toe with each other on Thursday. Which of these sides will emerge victorious at the end of this two-legged tie?
𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 ⏳ #UECL #GntApo pic.twitter.com/ezOk8YgUyG
— KAA Gent (@KAAGent) August 23, 2023
Gent vs APOEL probable lineups
Here's how we think these teams will line up for this UEFA Europa Conference League play-off game.
Gent
Goalkeeper: Paul Nardi.
Defenders: Matisse Samoise, Ismael Kandouss, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Archie Brown.
Midfielders: Julien De Sart, Hyunseok Hong, Sven Kums, Malick Fofana.
Strikers: Hugo Cuypers, Gift Orban.
The hosts are expected to line up in a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Hugo Cuypers and Gift Orban leading the charge. Hein van Haezebrouck will be pleased to have a healthy group of players to choose from; as there are no new absentees for Gent.
APOEL Nicosia
Goalkeeper: Vid Belec.
Defenders: Jefte, Andreas Karamanolis, Lasha Dvali, Issam Chebake.
Midfielders: Dalcio, Giannis Satsias, Georgi Kostadinov.
Strikers: Giannis Fetfazidis, Tomane, Stavros Gavriel.
On the other hand, Wilson Eduardo was injured in the previous qualifying round vs Dila Gori, and will be unavailable for the visitors. Ricardo Sa Pinto will likely adopt a 4-3-3 formation for this game.
Gent vs APOEL confirmed lineups
Gent
Our starting 1⃣1⃣ for tonight! 🔵⚪️ #COBW #gntapo #UECL #lineup pic.twitter.com/PDWz0JTT4f
— KAA Gent (@KAAGent) August 24, 2023
APOEL Nicosia
#StartingXI: #KAAGent – #APOELFC (#UECL PO-1st leg)#GNTvAPO #apoelfclive#Stoiximan #iroes pic.twitter.com/VS2Kj3xm1t
— APOEL FC (@apoelfcofficial) August 24, 2023
Gent vs APOEL predictions
These are our top predictions for this UEFA Europa Conference League fixture:
Prediction 1: Gent to win
To be fair, APOEL Nicosia have enjoyed some fine form lately; they have won five matches in a row, defeating Vojvodina, Dila Gori and AEZ Zakakiou in the process. Compared to these teams however, Gent will be a relatively tougher nut to crack. The Belgian side have eight wins in their last 10 matches, losing just once in that stretch. Keeping in mind that Gent also have the advantage of playing at home, we believe they'll emerge victorious at the end of this match.
Prediction 2: Goals at both ends
Granted, APOEL Nicosia did not concede a single goal in their last three matches. However, preventing this Gent team from scoring is easier said than done. The hosts have not had too much trouble when it comes to finding the net; as they have scored in 29 consecutive matches. Interestingly, both teams were on the scoresheet in Gent's last three matches. Keeping in mind that APOEL scored in all of their last seven games, we should expect goals at both ends.
Prediction 3: At least three total goals
We've already established that Gent found the back of the net in all of their last 29 games. It may also interest you to know that they registered 53 goals in their last 16 matches; that's over three goals per game on average. On that note, it's no surprise that Gent have been involved in a lot of high-scoring matches. As a matter of fact, 19 of Gent's last 20 games featured at least three goals. That said, we should expect the goals to flow in this UEFA Europa Conference League play-off match.
Can Gift Orban fire his team to victory?
It's important to point out that Gent participated in the previous two UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying rounds, and Gift Orban scored in both rounds. The Nigerian forward bagged a hat-trick in their 5-0 victory over Pogon Szczecin in the previous qualifying round; he also found the back of the net last weekend vs Sint Truidense. It should be worth keeping an eye out for Gift Orban.
4️⃣ goals in 4️⃣ qualifying games for Gift Orban 🔥@KAAGent || #UECL pic.twitter.com/LHO6jTnFkF
— UEFA Europa Conference League (@europacnfleague) August 23, 2023
Where to watch Gent vs APOEL live
There are no streaming options for English speaking countries at the moment. However, fans in Cyprus can catch all the action live on Cabinet Sports 1.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago