Race for the Cyprus championship goes down to the wire

By Iacovos Constantinou

With two more games to go before the conclusion of this year’s football championship three points separate APOEL, Apollon and AEK who are all still in the hunt for top spot, in what is one of the most nail-biting finishes in recent years.

Leaders APOEL have the advantage over the two other contenders as two wins in their last two games will crown them champions for the third consecutive year. The leaders can lift the championship even if they draw tomorrow’s game against fellow rivals AEK and Apollon fail to win their game against Anorthosis.

More than 16.000 fans are expected to turn up at the GSP stadium to watch the crucial game between APOEL and AEK.

APOEL’s caretaker manager Gustavo Manduca has to rally his troops following their poor performance last week against Apollon, who a talented and highly motivated side that has become somewhat of a bogey team for the reigning champions. The last time APOEL defeated AEK in Nicosia was back in December 2011!

Manduca is bound to ring the changes with Riise, Charalambides and Vinicius all expected to start while there may be a starting berth for Aloneftis who has fully recovered from his niggling injury.

AEK travel to Nicosia without any injury or suspension concerns and their coach Tomas Christiansen has a full squad to choose from.

The Spanish quartet of Murillo, Catala, Larena and Tomas will form the backbone of the Larnaca side with the Brazilian Vander adding the flair and skill to open up the tightest of defences.

Forty five kilometres south east of Nicosia the third championship contender Apollon will face a much depleted Anorthosis.

The Famagusta team will be without the injured Calvo and Seran the suspended Holgerson and Aburjania while three more players, Laifis, Avraam and Maisuradze, will face a late fitness test.

Apollon, buoyed by their impressive win over APOEL last week, are favourites to take the three points despite their own lengthy injury/suspension list.

Vassiliou, Adrande, Lopez, Thuram, Angeli and Meriem will all miss the game but their Argentinean captain Sangoy is back after suspension. Central defender Ouon and striker Guie have overcome their injuries and may both start the game.
In the last top group game Omonia take on Ermis at the GSP on Sunday and anything other than a home win will be considered a surprise especially if Ermis continues fielding young (15-16 year-olds) and inexperienced players.

Omonia, who will have Assis, Skembri and Loibanidze back after suspension need the three points to keep alive their chances of a third place finish , which will automatically give them a European (qualifying) ticket.

In the bottom group Othellos Athienou has been relegated.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.