Celaleddin Koçak in action against Anorthosis last season (©Getty Images)

Trabzonspor out to bury ghost

Trabzonspor hope to ensure history does not repeat itself when they visit Cypriot side APOEL FC in the UEFA Cup tonight.

Awful result
The 2004/05 Turkish runners-up were aiming for a UEFA Champions League group-stage place last season when they lost unexpectedly in the second qualifying round, going down 3-2 on aggregate to APOEL's domestic rivals Anorthosis Famagusta FC - a defeat that cast a shadow over their whole campaign.

Worrying start
Having eventually finished fourth last term, the Black Sea club have started 2006/07 with a new coach, Brazilian Sebastião Lazaroni, although their first league result - a 1-0 reverse at Kayserispor - has hardly given cause for optimism. Nonetheless, on arriving at Larnaca airport, Lazaroni showed no sign of nerves. "We didn't play well enough and lost against Kayserispor but it will be different here," he said. "Last year there was a setback in Cyprus but I was not the coach then. Things will not be the same."

Late arrivals
Trabzonspor's chief summer recruits - striker Ersen Martin, midfielder Musa Büyük and Brazilian playmaker Marcelinho, a €2.5m signing from Hertha BSC Berlin - all arrived too late to be registered for this second qualifying round first leg, while former captain Fatih Tekke has left for Russia's FC Zenit St. Petersburg. The responsibility will therefore fall on creative players like Gökdeniz Karadeniz and Ibrahima Yattara to set up Umut Bulut, a buy from MKE Ankaragücü who is considered a natural replacement for Tekke.

'Biggest game in our history'
APOEL, meanwhile, will be eager to exploit any weakness in Trabzonspor's makeup. "This is the biggest game in APOEL's history," said captain Marinos Satsias. "This is not just about APOEL but about Cypriot football, bearing in mind the history between Cyprus and Turkey. We know they are a hard team with fanatical home support, but our chances are 50/50. We can get the right result in Nicosia and set ourselves up for the return in Turkey. Anorthosis did it last season and I am more than hopeful we can do it too."

Sporting view
While tensions over Turkey's presence in northern Cyprus may add spice to the match, Trabzonspor president Nuri Albayrak was quick to point out that his team had received a warm welcome from APOEL and that politics had no influence on his desire to make amends for last year's disappointment. "However high the stakes, we shouldn't forget that this is sport," he said. "We want to get a good result for the return leg and hopefully advance to the next round in order to put last year's result behind us."

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