UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - 2014/15 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Amsterdam ArenA - Amsterdam Wednesday 10 December 2014 20.45CET (20.45 local time) AFC Ajax Group F - Matchday 6 APOEL FC Last updated 07/12/2017 15:05CET UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OFFICIAL SPONSORS Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Squad list 5 Head coach 7 Match officials 8 Fixtures and results 9 Match-by-match lineups 12 Group Standings 13 Competition facts 15 Team facts 17 Legend 19 1 AFC Ajax - APOEL FC Wednesday 10 December 2014 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Manduca 31 (P); L. 30/09/2014 GS APOEL FC - AFC Ajax 1-1 Nicosia Andersen 28 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA AFC Ajax 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 APOEL FC 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 AFC Ajax - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Van der Vaart 33, 0-3 27/09/2001 R1 Apollon Limassol FC - AFC Ajax Nicosia Ibrahimović 66, agg: 0-5 Wamberto 79 Ibrahimović 2, 20/09/2001 R1 AFC Ajax - Apollon Limassol FC 2-0 Amsterdam Machlas 56 European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Georgiou 10, 4-0 07/11/1979 R2 AC Omonia - AFC Ajax Nicosia Demetriou 15, Kaiafas agg: 4-10 38, 55 Lerby 4, 28, 44, 72, 74, Krol 55 (P), 24/10/1979 R2 AFC Ajax - AC Omonia 10-0 Amsterdam Arnesen 59, Blanker 66, 81, 87 APOEL FC - Record versus clubs from opponents' country APOEL FC have not played against a club from their opponents' country Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA AFC Ajax 2 2 0 0 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 3 1 1 16 5 APOEL FC 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 2 AFC Ajax - APOEL FC Wednesday 10 December 2014 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Match background A place in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase is at stake when the bottom two teams in Group F, AFC Ajax and APOEL FC, meet on matchday six. • Ajax are a point better off than bottom-placed APOEL and need only avoid defeat to tie up a third-placed finish in their UEFA Champions League group for the fifth season running. APOEL need a victory on what is their first trip to the Netherlands. • The clubs drew 1-1 in Nicosia on matchday two. Match background Ajax • Winless after five fixtures, Ajax are looking to avoid an unwanted first as they have never finished a UEFA Champions League group campaign without at least one victory. • Ajax have lost their last three matches in Group F. They last suffered three straight defeats in a European season in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage; they have never lost four in a row. • Ajax's most recent home meeting with Cypriot opposition brought a 2-0 win against Apollon Limassol FC in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup first round (aggregate 5-0). • Ajax's second biggest victory in UEFA competition was against Cypriot club AC Omonia – 10-0 in Amsterdam in the 1979/80 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round. They lost the second leg 4-0 in Cyprus. APOEL • APOEL are still seeking a first away victory in the UEFA Champions League proper; their record from ten matches is W0 D5 L5. • The Cypriot champions have yet to score away from home in Group F after losses at FC Barcelona (0-1) and Paris Saint-Germain (0-1). Indeed with one goal overall, APOEL are the competition's lowest scorers. • Barring a victory in Amsterdam, APOEL will record their lowest points' haul in a UEFA Champions League group stage on what is their third appearance in the competition. Coach and player links • Giorgos Donis was in the Panathinaikos FC team beaten by Frank de Boer's Ajax in the 1995/96 UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Panathinaikos won the first leg 1-0 in Amsterdam – Donis himself set up the goal after a 40-metre break from his own half – but Ajax then triumphed 3-0 in Athens. Edwin van der Sar, now Ajax's marketing director, also played. • De Boer's Netherlands won 4-0 at the GSP Stadium in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Cyprus on 7 October 2000. • Marc Overmars, now Ajax director of football affairs, and Van der Sar played with De Boer in that 2000 Nicosia qualifier and again in the Oranje's 4-0 win in the Eindhoven return. • Kolbeinn Sigthórsson hit Iceland's first goal in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over a Cyprus side including Constantinos Charalambides, Stathis Aloneftis, Nektarios Alexandrou and second-half substitutes Pieros Sotiriou and George Efrem in Reykjavik in October 2013. • Efrem was in the Omonia team that defeated ADO Den Haag 3-1 on aggregate in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round, winning the first leg 3-0 at the GSP Stadium. • Viktor Fischer and Sotiriou each scored twice in Denmark's 6-2 home win over Cyprus in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship elite round in May 2012. Lucas Andersen and Kostas Artymatas also played. • Striker Nikos Machlas won domestic league and cups with both Ajax and APOEL. Match facts Ajax • Joël Veltman is available after serving a one-game ban on matchday five. Anwar El Ghazi, Davy Klaassen, Veltman and Niklas Moisander are all a booking away from suspension. • Ajax recorded their biggest home win of the season on Saturday, defeating Willem II 5-0. • Klaassen has scored in each of Ajax's last three games. • The Amsterdam outfit are 11 games unbeaten in the Eredivisie, winning five of their last six league matches. • Arkadiusz Milik has scored 18 goals in his last 16 outings for club and country, including six as Ajax beat amateur 3 AFC Ajax - APOEL FC Wednesday 10 December 2014 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Amsterdam side JOS Watergraafsmeer 9-0 in the Dutch Cup on 24 September. • Lucas Andersen made his senior international debut as Denmark lost 2-0 to Romania in a friendly on 18 November. • Viktor Fischer has been out with a hamstring injury since 23 February. • Nicolai Boilesen was ruled out for ten weeks after sustaining a right knee injury on matchday five. Kolbeinn Sigthórsson picked up an ankle injury against Willem II. • Jasper Cillessen signed a two-year contract extension on 2 December tying the goalkeeper to the club until June 2018. • On 28 November, Queensy Menig agreed a four-year deal that commits him to Ajax until June 2019. APOEL • João Guilherme is serving a ban following his matchday five dismissal. • APOEL have failed to score in four of their last six matches. • Giorgos Efrem's winner in APOEL's 1-0 victory against AC Omonia on 30 November was the Cypriot side's first goal in 402 minutes. • Including their final three games of last season, APOEL are 15 league matches unbeaten. • APOEL have conceded just 15 goals in 22 games this term in all competitions, including just two in 12 in the Cypriot top flight. • Efrem became the first player to score a hat-trick for Cyprus in November's 5-0 UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying victory over Andorra. 4 AFC Ajax - APOEL FC Wednesday 10 December 2014 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam Squad list AFC Ajax Current season All-time UCLQ UCL League UCL UEFA No. Player Nat. DoB Age D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 22 Jasper Cillessen NED 22/04/1989 25 - - - 5 - 14 - 10 - 13 - 31 Peter Leeuwenburgh NED 23/03/1994 20 - - - - - - - - - - - 33 Diederik Boer NED 24/09/1980 34 - - - - - - - - - 2 - Defenders 2 Ricardo van Rhijn NED 13/06/1991 23 - - - 5 - 13 2 17 - 23 1 3 Joël Veltman NED 15/01/1992 22 * - - 4 - 13 3 7 - 8 - 4 Niklas Moisander FIN 29/09/1985 29 * - - 4 - 14 - 19 2 44 3 5 Nicolai Boilesen DEN 16/02/1992 22 - - - 4 - 12 - 9 - 10 - 6 Mike van der Hoorn NED 15/10/1992 22 - - - 1 - 4 1 5 - 6 - 12 Jairo Riedewald NED 09/09/1996 18 - - - 2 - 5 - 2 - 3 - 23 Kenny Tete NED 09/10/1995 19 - - - - - - - - - - - 24 Stefano Denswil NED 07/05/1993 21 - - - 2 - 1 - 8 1 9 1 26 Nick Viergever NED 03/08/1989 25 - - - 4 - 12 1 4 - 36 2 29 Ruben Ligeon NED 24/05/1992 22 - - - - - 3 - - - - - Midfielders 8 Lerin Duarte NED 11/08/1990 24 - - - - - 4 - 3 - 5 - 10 Davy Klaassen NED 21/02/1993 21 * - - 5 1 15 4 10 1 13 2 20 Lasse Schöne DEN 27/05/1986 28 - - - 5 1 13 6 16 3 25 4 25 Thulani Serero RSA 11/04/1990 24 - - - 4 - 14 - 10 1 12 1 27 Riechedly Bazoer NED 12/10/1996 18 - - - - - 1 - - - - - 32 Niki Zimling DEN 19/04/1985 29 - - - 3 - 6 - 3 - 23 - Forwards 7 Viktor Fischer DEN 09/06/1994 20 - - - - - - - 8 - 11 - 9 Kolbeinn Sigthórsson ISL 14/03/1990 24 - - - 4 - 14 5 11 - 24 3 11 Ricardo Kishna NED 04/01/1995 19 - - - 3 - 11 1 3 - 4 - 16 Lucas Andersen DEN 13/09/1994 20 - - - 5 1 12 1 7 1 9 1 18 Robert Murić CRO 12/03/1996 18 - - - - - - - - - - - 19 Arkadiusz Milik POL 28/02/1994 20 - - - 4 - 9 8 4 - 6 - 21 Anwar El Ghazi NED 03/05/1995 19 * - - 4 1 13 5 4 1 4 1 30 Richairo Zivkovic NED 05/09/1996 18 - - - - - - - - - - - 34 Queensy Menig NED 19/08/1995 19 - - - - - 1 - - - - - Coach - Frank de Boer NED 15/05/1970 44 - - - 5 - - - 24 - 34 - 5 AFC Ajax - APOEL FC Wednesday 10 December 2014 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam APOEL FC Current season All-time UCLQ UCL League UCL UEFA No.