Macedonian champion Renova is on Cyprus to play the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round against the Cypriot champion Omonia.

On Thuesday at 19.00 CET at the NEO GPS stadium in Nicosia, Renova will have it’s debut in the UEFA Champions League. A very hard opponent gave the draw to Renova, the Cypriot champion Omonia, holder of a record of 20 home championship titles. The club has also won the Cypriot Cup on 12 occasions and the LTV Super Cup 14 times. Last season they finished on top with 9 points more than APOEL and 10 more than Anorthosis who was third and who participated in last season’s edition of the Champions League. Current manager is Takis Lemonis from Greece who took over the club in March last year. The squad has 15 internationals among which players from Spain, Peru, Serbia, Zimbabwe, Hungary, Greece, Israel, Brazil, Nigeria and ofcaurse the home players of Cyprus. The number one player at Omonia is the Greek national team player Christos Patsatzoglou who played at the World Cup in South Africa. There is the Peruvian national team striker Hernán Rengifo Trigoso called Chapara, the former Serbian national team goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevrić, Israeli national right back Yuval Spungin and the Cypriot national team players: captain Elias Charalambous, Efstathios Aloneftis, Antonis Georgallides, Georgios Efrem, Konstantinos Makrides and Michalis Konstantinou.

Omonia is the most popular club in Cyprus and therefore a well supported club. In the fans’ honor the number 12 is a retired number and no player can wear it. Renova  will be facing not just a quality but a well motivated team who will play in front of the best fans in Cyprus.

While Omonia is a club of players from many different nations, Renova is mostly of Macedonian players. Abdoulaye Gueye from Mauritania and Faruk Statovci and Fisnik Gashi from Kosovo/Serbia are the only internationals at the club from Dzepciste.

According to the bookmakers, Omonia is a firm favorite to win the game:

1 – 1.20 ; X – 5.00 ; 2 – 12.00 ;