Omonia looking to end Anorthosis streak

After winning six out of their last eight league matches, Omonia host the only team yet to taste defeat this season, league leaders Anorthosis, in the national football championship Round 19 opener on Saturday, with kick-off set for 2.30pm at Nicosia’s GSP Stadium.

“We face Anorthosis in what should be a great match. They are still undefeated this season, but we certainly aim to come out victorious from this match,” said Omonia coach Toni Savevski who has no injury worries ahead of the clash. 

“It’s great that our fans showed so much interest for this match, but I urge them to be patient and not to pile any additional pressure on the players. We must approach Anorthosis carefully and not let our thirst for victory get the better of us from the start. 

“Anorthosis being the only undefeated team this season is just one more incentive for us to get a result,” he added.

On the other side, Ronny Levy has two central midfielders Dan Alexa and Giannis Skopelitis out injured, while defender Paulo Jorge is suspended.

“We have a difficult task ahead of us as we face Omonia and we did not have much time to prepare for the match,” admitted Levy whose team needed an extra-time winner to advance to the last eight of the national cup in midweek. “But we will do everything we can to get a positive result.”

Anorthosis top the league standings with 48 points, six more than APOEL in second place and 16 points more than Savevski’s men in fifth position. 

AEK are currently third with 40 points, while AEL are fourth, in the final title play-off spot, with 34.

Elsewhere, on Saturday afternoon, Ethnikos Achnas take on AEP Paphos at 5pm, while an hour later Apollon and Ayia Napa face Enosis Neon Paralimni and AEK respectively.

After eliminating APOEL from the national cup, AEL need to be wary of Nea Salamina’s threat on Sunday when they visit GSZ Stadium in Larnaca at 5pm, while Ivan Jovanovic’s men, after surprisingly dropping out of the cup, will be looking to return to winning ways when they face Olympiakos and hopefully relieve themselves of the pressure arising from inconsistent form.

In the final match of Round 19, Alki host Doxa Katokopia at Larnaca’s GSZ Stadium on Monday night, with kick-off scheduled for 7pm.

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