RANGERS continue their UEFA Europa League campaign with a trip to Cyprus to face Aris Limassol in matchday two of Group C this evening.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Cypriot side who claimed their first ever league title last term, here’s everything you need to know.
HISTORY
Aris have historically been the third most successful club in the city of Limassol behind AEL and Apollon, both of whom have continued to gather silverware at an impressive rate and regularly represent the country in European competition.
Indeed, between the 1996/97 and 2005/06 campaigns, Aris only alternated between relegation and promotion, with a brief pause in the yo-yo run ending in 2006/07 with a 10th placed finish before resuming all the way through to 2016.
However, Aris’ fortunes changed at the turn of the decade as they began to compete more regularly with the traditional heavyweight sides in Cyprus. Increased investment in the playing squad in recent years culminated in last season’s title-winning campaign, which was the first in the history of the club.
In doing so, Aris made their debut in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers this summer, scoring 11 goals over two legs against BATE before Rakow ended the Cypriot side’s group stage bid in the Third Qualifying Round.
STADIUM
Opened only last year, the Alphamega Stadium is home to the three biggest clubs in Limassol and will play host to this evening’s fixture.
The stadium boasts a capacity of 11,000 and is the fifth largest stadium in Cyprus, with the ground holding its first official match less than 12 months ago when Apollon defeated Doxa Katokopias.
RECENT FORM
Aris kicked off their domestic campaign by lifting the Cypriot Super Cup with a 2-0 victory over Omonia Nicosia.
The triumph coincided with the start of the side’s European qualification campaign, where they overcame Slovan Bratislava in the UEFA Europa League play-off round to guarantee a further six outings in the competition before Christmas.
The defence of their league title, however, has proven troublesome, with a 1-0 defeat to Apollon at the weekend extending their winless run to three matches and leaving the reigning champions marooned in fifth place in the table.
MANAGER
Steven Davis will be the older head in the dugouts this evening as he goes head-to-head with 35-year-old Aleksey Shpilevsky.
The former Stuttgart midfielder joined Aris in February 2022 after spending his formative coaching years in the youth system of RB Leipzig.
Shpilevsky immediately led the Cypriot side to a fourth place finish, before ending the club’s wait for a league title last season despite enduring a six-match winless run in the league over the Christmas period.
SQUAD
Aris’ midfield includes 23-year-old Englishman Morgan Brown, who came through the youth ranks at Leicester City before spending a brief period in Aberdeen’s academy.
Shpilevsky’s side are captained by the experienced ex-Porto goalkeeper Vana Alves between the posts, who was integral to the side’s title triumph last term by collecting the Golden Glove and Best Save awards at the end of the campaign.
Elsewhere, the experienced Aleksandr Kokorin, on loan from Fiorentina for the second straight year, was Aris’ talisman in attack last season with nine league goals.
The Russian will be keen to link effectively with strike partner Mariusz Stepinski, who joined Aris on a permanent basis this summer from Hellas Verona and has netted three times already this campaign.
ONE TO WATCH
Aris boast pace in abundance on the flanks, typified by the direct running of 22-year-old Shavy Babicka.
The Gabonese attacker made the move to Cyprus in 2021 from Rwandan side Kiyovu, quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting and energetic wide men in the division.
Babicka has netted three times already this campaign, providing a memorable performance in Aris colours in August when he scored and laid on two assists in the side’s 5-3 away victory over BATE in Champions League qualifying.