Police in Larnaca were on “high alert” on Thursday morning, with Polish football fans arriving in the town en route to their club Legia Warsaw’s Europa Conference League fixture against Cypriot side Omonia in Nicosia on Thursday night.

The Cyprus News Agency reported that “several Legia Warsaw fans are staying in hotels in Larnaca”, and that as such, the police “prepared an operational plan to prevent any incidents”.

This plan reportedly entails increased patrols on Larnaca’s beachfront, as well as on side streets, in the town’s mall, and in hotels. It will be in effect between 5pm and midnight on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a number of Polish police officers have also travelled to Cyprus, with the aim of “providing assistance in identifying potentially dangerous persons”.

The police had said on Wednesday they had been “informed that a number of fans, some of whom are considered dangerous, will arrive in Cyprus for the football match”, and that it was for this reason that they had requested the Polish police’s assistance.

At the same time, Omonia were forced to cancel “dozens” of tickets which Legia Warsaw fans had managed to buy online.

Their fans were banned from attending away games after a number of them had reportedly attacked police officers ahead of an away game against English side Aston Villa in last year’s Europa Conference League.

A total of 46 fans were charged in relation with the incidents, while two British police officers were injured. The Polish fans were then 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 away 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.

This ban is still in force, but this has not deterred a number of fans from travelling to Cyprus, given that 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.