By Andreas Vou
APOLLON won their last European away match in convincing fashion but face a big test at Villarreal on Thursday (10.05pm), where the home side have won their last nine Europa League home matches.
The Limassol side performed heroics in their group opener against FC Zurich a fortnight ago as they snatched a late winner to earn all three points in a match which looked to be slipping from their grasp.
Apollon saw their 2-0 half-time lead cancelled out within just eight second-half minutes while a red card for midfielder Marcos Gullon looked to have ended any hope of a win but, with three minutes left on the clock, an own goal handed them all three points.
It was Apollon’s first home win in European group stages; their only previous group win came away from home against Legia Warsaw last season and even trickier opponent in Villarreal await the Cypriots.
Apollon’s most impressive display this season came away from home in the play-off round of the Europa League. Following their opening day 2-5 thrashing at the hands of AEK Larnaca, Apollon bounced back in remarkable fashion by beating Lokomotiv Moscow 4-1 in Russia which has sparked a run of six consecutive wins.
Villarreal drew in their Europa League opener against Borussia Monchengladbach. The Spaniards and the Germans are Group A favourites to progress.
The ‘Yellow Submarine’ suffered a 0-2 loss at the hands of Real Madrid over the weekend but, despite being disappointed, defender Mario Gaspar says that the team must respond with a win over the Cypriot club which will be key for qualifying to the next round.
“We have the chance to bounce back and win in front of our fans. We have to stop thinking about the match against Real and concentrate on this game. It is a very important game for the Europa League and we must show our strength at home.”
Apollon press officer Fanourios Constantinou feels that the odds are well and truly stacked against his side but that recent triumphs over Lokomotiv and Zurich could inspire the team towards an unlikely victory.
“The predictions are certainly not in our favour as was the case in the previous matches. Despite that, with the matches against Lokomotiv and Zurich as our guide, we will try to achieve what currently seems impossible.”
Apollon prepared for the match with a comfortable 4-0 home win over Othellos which leaves them second in the league – four points clear of rivals AEL in third and one point off leaders APOEL. Christakis Christoforou fielded a near full strength side but substituted Bertrand Robert, Camel Meriem and Fotis Papoulis in the second half.
Due to his red card in the win over Zurich, Gullon will miss the trip to his homeland but, other than the Spaniard, Christoforou has a full strength squad to choose from.
The Limassol club will be boosted by the news that Villarreal defender Mateo Musacchio will miss the game through injury.
The 24-year-old has become one of Villarreal’s most important players and was attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona and Tottenham during the summer. He was also recently called up to the Argentina squad but had to pull out due to the injury which will rule him out of Thursday’s match.
The two sides have never previously met, though Apollon strikers Gaston Sangoy and Fabrice have both played against Villarreal during their time in La Liga, with the former scoring twice against them when playing for Sporting Gijon.
