Post
Omonia and AEK Athens, with Paphos in the Conferences League!
The last Cypriot teams to play in the European competitions, Omonia and AEK Athens, will make their debut on Thursday night.
They will be joined by Paphos, who were relegated to the same competition, the Conferences League after being eliminated by Elfsborg.
Omonia are the only ones to play at home, as AEK and Paphos will be tested in Hungary and Lithuania respectively.
Paphos paid for the inexperience and tragic mistakes of their players against Elfsborg. In both games the Cyprus Cup winners were asked to play with ten players and in Europe these things pay off. Two defeats, elimination and Conferences League against Zalgiris Vilnius.
The first game in Lithuania and with Carlos Carcedo's team more ready, they can get the result they want for the second leg in Alfamega. The Lithuanians don't have anything formidable and a good Paphos can overcome the obstacles.
OMONOIA-TORPEDO KUTAISI (19:30)
The Nicosia Greens will host Torpedo Kutaisi with the aim of laying the foundations for qualification and going into next Thursday's second leg in Georgia with less pressure.
Omonia have not won in any of their four friendlies, only scoring in the last one in a 1-1 draw with AEK Athens. Of course, that doesn't matter, as friendlies are about identifying weaknesses, gaps and mistakes.
Against the Georgians, Omonia are the favourites, while it should be noted that the only time the Greens found a team from Georgia on their way, they eliminated them.
AEK will travel to Hungary to face Paksy and can get the result they want in order to become favourites ahead of the second leg in Larnaca in a week's time.
Juan Ferrado over the last week has sought to correct any mistakes made in the pre-season friendlies and present his squad as they should be in their first official game.
AEK are marginal favourites against Paksy, while there is no tradition of the Larnaca side playing Hungarian clubs.