Former Barcelona footballer, now coach of the Larnakos AEK team playing in the Cyprus championship, Thomas Christiansen, spoke to the newspaper "El Mundo Deportivo" about the future opponent of the Catalans in the Champions League.
In the first round Luis Enrique's players will meet with the Nikosia APOEL team at the Camp Nou stadium, which Th. Christiansen knows well. Just a few weeks ago, AEK had to acknowledge the superiority of Nikosia's eleven with a score of 0:2.
According to the coach, APOEL is a well-composed and balanced team, with their strongest aspect being the attack.
"They really have a good team. I think they are the strongest in the Cyprus championship. APOEL players are strong both as a collective and individually. Barcelona players will have to work hard on defense. The most to watch out for are the APOEL strikers and attacking midfielders. Gustavo Manduca, Thomas De Vincenti and Efstathios Aloneftis play really quality football. The engine of the team is the Brazilian Vinicius Oliveira, who contributed a lot to the team's success in the qualifying tournament," said Th. Christiansen.
Many analysts say that Nikosia's APOEL is the weakest team in Group F of the Champions League, but the coach of the Larnakos club believes that there could be surprises here too.
"If we evaluate the squads based on the players' surnames, APOEL might be the weakest. We played against them in the national championships and lost. In the end, a lot depends on the team's budget and the possibility of attracting better players in the market. The Champions League is, of course, an elite tournament where the strongest teams compete, but I think APOEL is capable of surprising. They are especially strong at home, where it is not easy for any opponent," pondered the strategist.
Th. Christiansen also identified the weakest link of the Nikosia club: "APOEL's 'Achilles' heel' is defense. Especially on the flanks. This happens because everything is focused in the center of the penalty area. Therefore, if opponents control the ball quickly, exploit the spaces on the flanks, they can be beaten."
According to the Larnakos AEK coach, the future opponents of Barcelona in the first game at the Camp Nou stadium will most likely deploy their favorite tactical formation 4-4-2, and the hosts will need to play fast football and attack more often on the wings.
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