The police on Wednesday warned of the arrival of “dangerous” Polish football fans arriving in Cyprus ahead of Omonia’s Europa Conference League fixture with Polish club Legia Warsaw at Nicosia’s GSP stadium on Thursday night.

“We have been informed that a number of fans, some of whom are considered dangerous, will arrive in Cyprus for the football match,” the police said, adding that they had “requested the assistance of the Polish authorities”.

As such, a number of Polish police officers are set to attend the match, with the aim of “providing assistance in identifying potentially dangerous persons”.

The police added that they are “on alert”, and that “all the necessary measures are being taken to ensure the smooth running of the match and the safe arrival and departure of the fans.”

Legia Warsaw are one of the largest football clubs in Poland and have a dedicated fan base who often travel in numbers to away games. However, hooliganism remains embedded in Polish football culture, and with Legia Warsaw a traditionally right-wing club, it is possible that they may clash with the traditionally left-wing Cypriot Omonia fans.

The most recent notable episodes of violence among Legia Warsaw fans came during last year’s Europa Conference League campaign, with a total of 46 fans being charged in the United Kingdom after reportedly attacking police ahead of a game against English side Aston Villa.

Two British police officers were injured in the incidents, with the Polish fans having then been refused entry into Aston Villa’s stadium Villa Park.

The club were later fined €100,000 and were banned from selling tickets to their fans for five European games by European football governing body Uefa, which cited the violent scenes at Villa Park and previous disorder during an away game against Dutch team AZ Alkmaar earlier in the year.