Omonia’s manager Neophytos Larkou returns to the bench of the Nicosia powerhouse for a clash against Anorthosis after serving a four-game ban imposed by the Cyprus Football Association two months ago.
The Cyprus Football Association initially handed Larkou a six-month ban after it accepted testimony from referee Christos Elia, who accused the Omonia manager of shoving him after his team’s 1-1 draw at Anagennisi Derynias last October.
“I am pleased to be back. It was a difficult test for me personally, but it is finally over and I am here,” Larkou said at the pre-match press conference.
“We have a difficult match ahead of us against an opponent whose name says it all. We are on a winning streak, but I am not expecting an easy afternoon. They have a great group of players with plenty of individual talent and I am sure that they will be ready to grab the win should the opportunity arise,” he added.
“However, we also want all three points. We will approach this match a bit differently than in the last round as I feel that we do need to change a couple of things in order to be ready for Anorthosis. Our spirits are very high and as long as we keep playing selflessly, we should be very close to another victory,” Larkou concluded.
For his part, Anorthosis Ammochostos’ manager Ronny Levy is optimistic ahead of their Omonia duel: “We are prepared for a very important match. Our form is satisfactory at the moment, but Omonia is also on a positive run. We want to present ourselves as a serious team and playing away from home against one of the best teams in Cyprus is a chance to prove our point. I am sure that if we do exactly that, we will continue to record good results.”
The match will kick-off this afternoon at 2.30pm at Nicosia’s GSP Stadium, while at 5pm Aris host APOEL, and an hour later Ermis Aradippou visit Enosis Neon Paralimni.
Tomorrow afternoon at 5pm Nea Salamina take on Anagennisi Derynias, while at 6pm Alki meet AEL in Larnaca and Apollon host Olympiakos Nicosia at the Tsirion Stadium in Limassol.
In the final match of Round 17, Ethnikos Achnas face AEK Larnaca on Monday night at 7pm at the Dasaki Stadium in Achna.
Cyprus Mail