Asteras v APOEL background

Defeat would spell almost certain elimination for Asteras Tripolis FC, while APOEL FC are keen to keep pace with the top two in UEFA Europa League Group K.

Previous meetings
• APOEL came from behind to beat Asteras 2-1 in Nicosia on matchday three, Carlão getting the winner as his side ended a seven-game wait for a European home victory. It was Asteras's first encounter with Cypriot opponents.

• APOEL's nine UEFA games against Greek sides have ended W4 D3 L2 (W1 D2 L1 in Greece).

• Greek teams have won half of the nations' clubs' 28 UEFA meetings – W14 D6 L8.

Form guide
• Asteras are without a victory in seven European games (D3 L4) since a 2-0 home success against FK Partizan in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage.

• APOEL have yet to win in 13 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League group stage away games (D6 L7). They have lost their most recent six of those fixtures and have not scored in the most recent five.

• Asteras failed to get through to the round of 32 on their maiden group stage tilt last term.

• APOEL did not survive the group stage on their one previous appearance, in 2013/14.

Trivia and links
• The journey from Nicosia to Tripolis is around 1,000km.

• APOEL's Spanish defender Iñaki Astiz turns 32 on the day of the game.

• Several APOEL players have played for Greek clubs: Tomás De Vincenti (PAS Giannina, Kalamata FC, Olympiacos FC), Constantinos Charalambidis (Panathinaikos FC, PAOK FC), Nektarios Alexandrou (Larissa FC), Stathis Aloneftis (Larissa FC) and Urko Pardo (Iraklis FC, Olympiacos FC).

• APOEL are one of ten sides in the group stage who qualified for Europe this season as domestic champions, along with KF Skenderbëu (Albania), Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan), FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic), FC Midtjylland (Denmark), KKS Lech Poznań (Poland), FK Partizan (Serbia), Celtic FC (Scotland), Molde FK (Norway) and FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland).

The coaches
• After a serious knee injury cut short his playing career, Staikos Vergetis dedicated himself to coaching, coming to Asteras as a youth specialist in 2006. He worked in various capacities, under 11 coaches, before finally being given the senior job in October 2013.

• Hired as APOEL coach this summer, Temuri Ketsbaia travelled widely as a midfielder and scored 17 goals in 49 appearances for Georgia. Having coached Anorthosis Famagusta FC and Olympiacos, he was in charge of Georgia from 2009–14.