Omonia gunning for top spot as title rivals navigate tricky round

In what could prove to be one of the most crucial rounds of the regular season, Omonia have a chance to move to the top of the Cypriot first division if certain results go their way this week.

The Greens, who beat Doxa Katokopias 3-0 on Friday night to go within one point of Apollon and AEL at the top of the table, welcome Salamina in Nicosia on Tuesday evening.

Speaking to Omonia’s club website, manager Henning Berg tried to downplay the timing of the game against Salamina, stressing the importance of every single match.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the first game of the season or the last game of the play-offs. We are always concentrating on the next game”, Berg said.

“We have to be as good as we were against Doxa. Have the same rhythm, the same tempo, have good combinations in attack and score. Salamina has good players and we have to be strong defensively”, Berg added.

Berg was also asked to comment on Marko Šćepović, his goal against Doxa and his adaptation to how Omonia play following his recent move.

“We knew that Marko was a good player. It’s positive for him to score again. He was not 100 per cent ready when he joined but he is starting to understand how we play. But Marko is part of the team and what is important is for the team to win”, Berg explained.

Meanwhile, Omonia midfielder Vítor Gomes also tried to divert attention away from how deep into the season we currently are.

“We are on the right track and we have to continue without thinking about the regular season almost being over”, Gomes said.

“We feel our fans’ strength even when they are not there. My message to them is that they continue supporting us even from a distance. We feel them next to us”, Gomes later added.

Apollon, who have dropped to second after their draw against Karmiotissa on Saturday and are now on equal points with AEL, will host AEK Larnaca later on Tuesday.

Asked to comment on Apollon’s difficulty in scoring, manager Giannis Petrakis focused on his team’s ability to create chances.

“It’s important that we are creating opportunities. We have the best attack in the league and two of our players are in the top scorers’ chart”, Petrakis explained.

“I have full faith in both myself and my players. We are trying to analyse our performances and improve what can be improved. We have a lot of quality but we can play better and with more maturity”, the Apollon manager added.

Current leaders AEL, meanwhile, face fourth-placed Anorthosis at home on Wednesday, a crucial game for both sides.

AEL manager Dusan Kerkez was happy following his side’s win over Pafos on Sunday but did not want to get ahead of himself.

“We must avoid any sense of panic. Enthusiasm, yes, not panic. All games are important”, Kerkez said.