Sanderson: Apollon gunning for Neulengbach

Apollon Limassol LFC forward Lianne Sanderson says her side will come out "guns blazing" in their UEFA Women's Champions League round of 32 second leg at SV Neulengbach on Wednesday.

The Austrian champions hold a 2-1 lead over Angelos Tsolakis's team, who were made to pay for a poor first-half showing last Thursday in Limassol. Neulengbach skipper Nina Burger struck twice in Cyprus although American substitute Jasmyne Spencer scored a late goal to cap a spell of intense late pressure and revive Apollon ahead of the return at the Wienerwaldstadion.

"We didn't take them lightly," on-loan English striker Sanderson told UEFA.com. "We knew they had been champions of their country – they are a strong and physical side with tall players. Heading into the second leg, we now know what to expect. We will come out all guns blazing and hopefully get the result there."

The Limassol club, who have been Cypriot double winners for the last five seasons, are seeking to get past the round of 32 at the fourth attempt. Sanderson, a UEFA Women's Cup winner with Arsenal LFC back in 2007, is convinced Apollon have what it takes to make history in Austria despite the deficit.

"We need to keep believing because we have nothing to lose. Everybody is in it together. We are a team – there are Americans, Cypriots and English like myself, but we are still one team. We need to come out strong and believe. If you don't believe in football you will not win. I certainly believe we can do it and heading into the second leg, I believe we will win."

Coach Tsolakis took over at Apollon in March after Christakis Christoforou transferred to lead the men's squad. "It's going to be a very tough game," he said. "Neulengbach are a very good side. They are a regular fixture in the knockout stage, something we too are trying to accomplish.

"We will do our best. We know the odds are against us but we still have a chance. They are also a more experienced side than us. We played well in the second half of our first leg, so we'll try to build on that and hopefully it will be enough to see us overturn the deficit in Austria."

His counterpart on Wednesday, Johannes Uhlig, said his players will be drawing inspiration from the noisy home fans who he hopes will unsettle the visitors. "We will have strong support in the second leg. I think around 1,000 fans will turn up. They will be cheering us on and this will be an advantage for us."