AEL coach Pambos Christodoulou says his side face “a tough mission” against Anderlecht in Brussels on Tuesday night as they prepare to make history by sealing their place in the group phase of the Champions League for the first time.
The Limassol club – who surprised many last season by winning the league title last season for the first time since 1968 – currently hold a 2-1 aggregate lead from the first leg and will seal their place in the groups if they avoid defeat of more than two goals or 1-0.
Should the game finish 2-1 in favour of Anderlecht in normal time, then the contest will go to extra time and then penalties if there is still no change in the score.
“We have a tough mission against a very good and experienced side”, the Cypriot coach told reporters on Monday night. “We remain grounded despite our 2-1 lead from the first leg. A 2-1 scoreline can be overturned and we are aware of that. I hope the fans see a great game and may the best team win.”
When asked if Tuesday’s game is the biggest in the club’s history, the 44-year-old former Doxa Katokopia and Olympiakos Nicosia forward replied, “Yes, but the previous game against Partizan was also huge for our club because it also meant that we secured our place in the group stages of the Europa League.
“The game against Anderlecht is a historic one for our club and for Cypriot football. We will go into this game much like the others before. The players will enjoy the occasion but we will also be aiming to book our place in the next round of the competition.”
Christodoulou will not have injured duo Luciano Bebe and Paulo Sergio at his disposal but welcomes back winger Monteiro who returns following his suspension from the first leg in Nicosia.
Meanwhile, Anderlecht boss John van den Brom says it is vital his side stop AEL from scoring at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. “We will build things up carefully and look for the opening goal. In European football, you know that when you don’t concede at home and score yourselves, you often get far.”
Van den Brom has been tasked with getting Anderlecht back into the groups for the first time since 2007 following several near misses by the Belgian club. The last one came in the 2010-2011 season when they were pipped at the final hurdle for a fourth time, losing out on penalties to Partizan.
“Some of the guys have been here quite a while and have become more experienced and they want to make amends. They’re saying, ‘That will not happen to us again.”
Last year, APOEL made history by battling their way from the second qualifying round to reach the quarterfinals of the competition. The Nicosia club are currently one step away from the group stages of the Europa League this time around and will need to avoid defeat or a 0-0 draw in their second leg game against Azerbaijan’s Neftchi Baku on Thursday in Nicosia.

Cyprus Weekly