Tough draw for APOEL & AEK, Apollon possibly to face Atromitos
Tough draw for APOEL & AEK, Apollon possibly to face Atromitos
AGONAsport’s Marios Antoniou looks at the draws for the Cypriot teams, APOEL, AEK, and Apollon Limassol in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
The draw for the UEFA Europa League 3rd qualifying round turned out to be a tough one for APOEL and AEK, as they will face the losing side from the Champions League pairs Dinamo Zagreb/Hapoel Beer-Sheva and Ajax/Sturm Graz, respectively. Apollon Limassol have Greek interest in their draw as they were matched with the winner of the pair between Atromitos/Dinamo Brest. The games are scheduled for August 9th and 16th.
The reigning Cypriot champions, APOEL, were brought down to earth pretty quickly last week after being thrown out of the Champions League by Lithuanian side Suduva. They are now set to face another theoretically weaker side in Flora Tallinn for the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round and will have to prove that they were taught a lesson from their Suduva experience. If they move forward, they will face the loser between Dinamo Zagreb or Hapoel Beer-Sheva, who are competing in Champions League qualifying. Former APOEL striker, Mario Budimir is in Dinamo’s squad, while Hapoel house former AEK Athens goalkeeper Giannis Anestis. Both teams are considered strong sides and if APOEL advances past Flora successfully, they will be up for a challenge in the third qualifying round. The first game will be played on the road and the return leg will be played at the GSP stadium in Nicosia.
AEK Larnaka begin their Europa League journey this Thursday when they face Irish side Dundalk. If they eliminate the Irish, a stern test awaits against either Ajax or Sturm Graz. The two clubs are competing in the UEFA Champions League and the losing side will be demoted to the Europa League to face AEK Larnaka or Dundalk. Of the two sides, the Dutch are the clear favorites to advance and send the Austrian Cup winners to the Europa League. Although it is a tough draw for AEK, the Cypriots will definitely be ready to look whoever opponent it is, in the eyes over the two legs. To the delight of AEK, the return leg will be played in Cyprus.
In theory, Apollon were given the easiest pair of the three Cypriot teams. The Limassol side will face Zeljeznicar in the second qualifying round (begins Thursday) and if they proceed, will face the winner of Atromitos/Dinamo Brest. The possibility of seeing a Greek-Cypriot clash is likely as both Apollon and Atromitos are favorites in their respective second qualifying round pairs. Neither the Peristeri side or Diego Maradona’s team will prove a frightening opponent to the Cypriot runner-ups, on paper. The first match will be played in Cyprus and the second leg will be played on the road.
by Antonious Marios
Image Source: UEFA.com
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