AEL boss Pambos Christodoulou says his side are “living the dream” as they prepare to take on Linfield in their first ever Champions League qualifier in Limassol on Wednesday night.
The Limassol club surprised many by clinching the league title last season, slipping under the radar to win their first championship since 1968 and their first major trophy since winnign the Cyprus Cup back in 1989.
Last year, APOEL stunned the world footballing community with their remarkable run in the Champions League and this season it will be AEL flying the flag for Cyprus in the Champions League.
“We are living the dream being in this competition”, the former Doxa and Olympiakos Nicosia forward told reporters. “Last year, our target was to qualify for Europe and we managed it in the best way possible. Being in this competition has filled us with plenty of obligations due to the tough games ahead. If we are disciplined and focused, then we feel that we can make this dream a reality not just for us but also for our fans.”
They must first take on Northern Ireland champions Linfield who will be playing in Cyprus for the second time – the first being an 8-6 aggregate defeat to Omonia in the nineties.
”We face a very good side”, he commented. “We have been studying them a lot and we have been working hard to ensure that we are as ready as possible for our first official game of the season. Our aim is to qualify to the next round. There are no easy games in Europe and its impossible to declare ourselves the favourites for this tie. The favourites will be the ones who give their all on the pitch.”
Linfield squeezed into the second qualifying round of the Champions League after beating Faroe Islands outfits Torshavn on penalties after both legs ended 0-0.
AEL have not played in Europe since losing 5-2 on aggregate to Ferencvaros almost ten years ago in the UEFA Cup.

Cyprus Weekly