Anorthosis and APOEL meet in final pre-season friendly

Anorthosis Famagusta and APOEL Nicosia faced off in a highly anticipated pre-season friendly match on August 16, 2026, at the Freedom Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium. The match, which kicked off at 20:00, served as a crucial penultimate testing ground for both teams as they prepare for the upcoming Cyprus League by Stoiximan season, which is scheduled to begin in two weeks.

Coaches Nestor El Maestro for Anorthosis and Nikos Papadopoulos for APOEL utilized the encounter to finalize their tactical frameworks, assess player fitness, and integrate new squad members. Anorthosis fielded a starting eleven including Carlstrom, Tanti, Dion, Aboagye, Lopes, Sergiou, Satin, Tosic, Furtado, Karamanolis, and Ilia. Meanwhile, APOEL’s starting lineup featured Belec, Sastre, Degenek, Laifis, Stafylidis, Vrontis, Dalsio, Limnios, Marquinhos, Djuricic, and Pedroso.

Both clubs are transitioning from experimental phases to final team composition. The match provided the technical staff with an opportunity to evaluate defensive stability and offensive mechanisms under competitive pressure, as both teams seek to rectify weaknesses identified in previous outings. No further official matches are scheduled before the league's commencement, with both clubs focusing on maintaining momentum from this rigorous testing session.