Apollon v Atalanta background
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Article summary
Atalanta could seal a place in the round of 32 with victory in Limassol but Apollon are hungry for a first Group E win – they will have to do something no other Cypriot side have done, though.
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With seven points from their first three UEFA Europa League Group E fixtures, Atalanta are in a strong position to qualify – and could do so with two games to spare if they post a second victory in successive matchdays against Apollon Limassol.
Should Atalanta collect three points and Everton fail to win away to Lyon, the Italian club will be certain of a top-two finish.
Previous meetings
• The teams came face to face for the first time on matchday three in Reggio Emilia, with Atalanta seeing off their Cypriot visitors 3-1 thanks to goals from Josip Iličić, Andrea Petagna and Remo Freuler; Maltese international André Schembri was on target for Apollon.
• Apollon are yet to win in five matches against Serie A sides – three away defeats and two home draws.
• No club from Cyprus has beaten Italian opposition in 23 UEFA competition fixtures.
Form guide
• Apollon have scored at least one goal in each of their last 11 European games (W4 D4 L3).
• Atalanta have only ever won one away match in European competition – 1-0 against Fenerbahçe in the second round of the 1990/91 UEFA Cup.
• Apollon competed in back-to-back UEFA Europa League group stages in 2013/14 and 2014/15, but have yet to make it to the round of 32. They finished third in Cyprus last season, also beating champions APOEL in the domestic cup final.
• Fourth in Serie A last term, Atalanta are back in Europe for the first time since 1990/91, when they were eliminated by Internazionale in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Bergamo to Nicosia, where Apollon are playing their European home games, is around 2,200km.
• Apollon's Valentin Roberge became the first player to be sent off in this season's group stage when he was dismissed at Everton on matchday two. He remains suspended for this fixture.
• Suspended for next match if booked: Andrea Masiello (Atalanta); Héctor Yuste (Apollon).
The coaches
• Sofronis Avgousti has coached home-town team Apollon since 2016, having previously served the club in three separate spells as a goalkeeper. The 11-times capped international was also on the books at AEK Larnaca, Aris Limassol and APOEL.
• A one-time Juventus youth player, Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini mostly played in Italy's lower divisions but worked his way up to the top tier as a coach, leading Inter, Genoa and Palermo before taking the job in Bergamo in 2016.