
Venue: GSP Nicosia
Date: Wednesday 30 September
Kick-off: 1945 BST
With the footballing world just about writing us off after our shambles of a game against Wigan in the Premier League at the weekend, we need a decent performance in our Champions League game away to Apoel Nicosia tonight if we’re going to stop the vultures from circling.
MANAGERS’ THOUGHTS
Whilst regarding us as group favourites, Apoel coach Ivan Jovanovic is hoping his side can raise their game, suggesting “Chelsea are the best team in the group, one of the top three or four teams in the world, and they have a real chance of winning this trophy. They have an excellent coach who has already won the Champions League and, for sure, they are the favourites for the game. We have to start the game well and try our best to play our own game, always hoping for a good result. We’ll have to exceed ourselves to achieve that, but we have done it already many times before. We’ll try to do it again. It’s not made easier by the fact that we have four players missing, two defenders and two attackers, but we have to show we can cope without them and still challenge Chelsea. Chelsea have a much better team than ours, that’s clear. They are an extremely attacking team and an excellent unit. But they’re also a team that can defend well together and play well. They have star players, but the team as a whole is a star. But one of the strengths of our team is that we are excited to be playing in games like this.”
Carlo Ancelotti meanwhile, seems to be seeing tonight’s game as a way of making amends, stating “We have a lot of respect for this team, but we have to return to playing well and have a good direction after the Wigan game. Against Wigan it was not a good day. On Wednesday I want to see a good reaction. Not a reaction: action. We are not worried. We don’t think about losing another game. Our thinking is to work hard, to play well and to maintain our play every game.”
SQUAD NEWS
It sounds as if Apoel have a few players missing but then we’re not exactly faring too well on that score ourselves tonight. Michael Ballack (calf) and John Obi Mikel (ankle) haven’t travelled, whilst Ashley Cole (knee) is a doubt. Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa remain out through suspension.
PREDICTION
We might be up against a side regarded as the group’s also-rans but given they’ve already managed a draw against Atletico Madrid, whilst we couldn’t even manage that against Wigan as recently as the weekend, I wouldn’t be too sure about writing the Cypriots off.