Apollon Limassol will be looking to mount a miraculous comeback in the Champions League qualifiers when they play host to Maccabi Haifa in the second leg of their round-three clash on Tuesday.
The Cyprus outfit, who were condemned to a humbling 4-0 defeat in last week's reverse leg, head into the game winless in six consecutive outings and will be aiming to end this dry spell.
Match preview
Apollon Limassol suffered a massive blow in their hunt for a place in the Champions League as they fell to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Maccabi Haifa in their first-leg clash last Wednesday.
In a game where Vukasin Jovanovic received his marching orders, Mathieu Peybernes scored a first-half own goal to open the floodgates as Ali Mohamed El Fazaz netted a second half-brace before Frantzdy Pierrot capped off a fine team display with a 79th-minute strike.
Apollon Limassol, who are on a three-game losing streak across all competitions, have now failed to taste victory in six straight outings, dating back to May's 4-1 victory over Aris Limassol.
Alexander Zorniger's men also head into Tuesday winless in all but one of their last six competitive home games — losing two and picking up two draws — with a 3-2 win over APOEL Nicosia on May 8 being the only exception.
Meanwhile, Maccabi Haifa got their 2022-23 campaign underway on July 16 when they were beaten on penalties by Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Israeli Super Cup final.
This was followed by a 1-1 home draw with Olympiacos in the first leg of their Champions League qualifying third-round clash on July 20, when Philip Zinckernagel and Dolev Haziza scored for either side to force a share of the spoils.
However, Barak Bakhar's men bounced back in style as they saw off the Greek outfit 4-0 away from home in the return leg courtesy of goals from Tjaronn Chery, Mohammad Abu Fani and a brace from Pierrot.
Maccabi Haifa, who clinched the Premier League crown last season, head into Tuesday on a run of just two wins from their last eight away games in all competitions, losing five and managing one draw in that time.
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Team News
Apollon Limassol will take to the pitch without Serbian defender Jovanovic after the 26-year-old picked up a straight red in last week's reverse leg.
In his absence, versatile defender Chambos Kyriakou should come in for his first start of the qualifiers, forming a three-man back line with Peybernes and Valentin Roberge.
On the injury front, the home side remain without 22-year-old midfielder Ilian Iliev, who has been out of action since May through a metatarsal fracture.
As for Maccabi Haifa, Bakhar will be unable to call upon the services of Raz Meir, who has been out of action since March through a severe hip injury.
He is joined on the club's injury table by Mahmoud Jaber, who is set to sit out his third consecutive game after coming off injured in the Super Cup defeat against Hapoel Be'er Sheva on July 16.
Apollon Limassol possible starting lineup:
Jovanovic; Peybernes, Kyriakou, Roberge; Filiotis, Spoljaric, Coll, Khammas; Ongenda, Pittas, Diguiny
Maccabi Haifa possible starting lineup:
Cohen; Sundgren, Planic, Goldberg, Cornud; Chery, Lavi, Mohamed; Haziza, Pierrot, David
We say: Apollon Limassol 1-2 Maccabi Haifa
Off the back of an emphatic first-leg victory, Maccabi Haifa will head into the game full of confidence as they look to pick up where they dropped off last week. The hosts are winless in their last six games and we predict that this trend will continue with the Israeli side claiming a slender victory.
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Top tip
Joshua Ojele
