Pambos Christodoulou will take charge of Cyprus for the first time tonight and the new manager is already looking to the future.
The 45-year-old coach, who won the Cypriot title with AEL Limassol in 2012, has named five uncapped players in his first squad – three of whom are promoted from the under-19 ranks.
It is the recall of 30-year-old Andreas Papathanasiou, however, that has attracted the most attention in Cyprus.
The 6ft 2in striker has been recalled after a four-year absence from the national team, as former coach Nikos Nioplias continually overlooked him.
Andreas Makris is in line to win his first cap after scoring three times in 12 appearances for Anorthosis Famagusta, who he joined in the summer for just £17,000.
Anorthosis could make a hefty profit on the player as he has recently been attracting interest from Everton, Juventus and Borrusia Dortmund.
e TONIGHT’S match will be screened live on television, but not by BBC or Sky. Instead, Manchester United‘s in-house channel, MUTV, will show the game.
Jonny Evans and David Healy will be studio guests from 5.45pm.
THE Cyprus v Northern Ireland game isn’t the only international match being played on the Mediterranean island tonight.
Originally scheduled to be played in Kharkiv, the Ukraine v USA friendly has been switched to Larnaca due to the ongoing political situation in Ukraine.
