Uefa Champions League, Group D - Apoel Nicosia v Chelsea Venue: GSP Stadium Date: Wednesday, 30 September Kick-off: 1945 BST Coverage: BBC Radio Five Live, BBC Sport website & Sky Sports
Apoel's Constantinos Charalambides is ready to do battle with John Terry (right)
By Nabil Hassan
While the disparity in wages between Chelsea's millionaires and Champions League opponents Apoel Nicosia may be stark, the Cypriot outfit are certainly not suffering from an inferiority complex.
Their team sheet may not contain the household names of world football that Chelsea boast, but Apoel are refusing to be intimidated by the arrival of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and co.
Having already defeated Danish side FC Copenhagen on the way to the group stages of the competition and drawn at Atletico Madrid a fortnight ago, Apoel are in confident mood ahead of Chelsea's arrival on Wednesday.
And while in previous years Apoel would have been considered as pushovers, the Cypriot side are now proving that in the Champions League, there is no such thing.
"We have qualified because we believe in ourselves and we believe we deserve to be there," Apoel winger Constantinos Charalambides told BBC Sport.
"Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world. They have the best players and for us that is perfect motivation as a team and as an individual.
"But we won't be afraid against them, especially in front our own fans."
With a top wage of £220,000 a year the financial differences for an Apoel player and that of their Chelsea counterparts are huge.
With endorsements and bonuses, club captain Terry and midfielder Lampard could earn close to that amount in a week.
An average attendance of less than 10,000 also highlights the difference in size of the two clubs.
But Cypriot Charalambides is confident he can mix it with some of the best footballers in world football.
"I have played for my country for 10 years and that has given me the opportunity to play against top players from France, Netherlands, Germany and Italy," explained 46-times capped Charalambides.
"I believe in myself and what I can do on the pitch.
"I have played against Michael Ballack before, Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry. I won't be daunted."
Founded in 1926, Apoel are the most successful team in Cyprus and arguably the biggest.
They have won their national championship 20 times and have lifted 30 domestic cups. They are a professional outfit who want to be taken seriously by Chelsea.
Their 22,000-seater JSP stadium, the largest in Cyprus, is just 10 years old and Charalambides believes Chelsea will be pleasantly surprised with the facilities.
But while the surroundings will be comfortable, Apoel intend to make Chelsea's night anything but.
Apoel have lost just once at home in the past year. The game is a sell-out and expectations are high after the side's achievements in Madrid.
"We are strong at home, the fans have been waiting for this game a long time and will create a hostile atmosphere, the stadium will be full and everyone is excited," said Charalambides.
Apoel's progression to the group stages of the competition owe much to Uefa chief Michel Platini's insistence that Europe's smaller leagues are better represented in the Champions League.
Last season Uefa changed the qualifying process which made it easier for teams from countries like Cyprus to make the group stages of the competition.
And the directive already seems to be working with Apoel's achievements mirroring those of their fierce rivals Anorthosis Famagusta last year.
Famagusta also qualified for the group stages beating Panathinaikos on the way to narrowly missing out on a third-place group finish and the chance to progress in the Uefa Cup.
And although Charalambides is loathe to admit it, Famagusta's achievements have inspired Apoel and helped to highlight the growing domestic improvement in Cypriot football.
In 1963 Apoel were beaten 16-1 in the Uefa Cup Winners' Cup by Sporting Clube de Portugal in their debut year in Europe, so their achievements against Atletico show just how far Cypriot football has come.
Charalambides attributes this to the economic development of the country which has led to greater investment in sport.
"The lifestyle here is developing all the time and that is improving the facilities at the clubs in Cyprus," he explains.
In 10 years Cypriot football has gone from being amateur to having clubs appearing in the Champions League as full-time professionals.
Charalambides also believes that the increase in foreign players has also improved the quality of football, with only two members of Apoel's team that started against Atletico from Cyprus.
At the same time, he explains, Cyprus's best players are no longer being tempted to play abroad, with the quality of football and money available increasing all the time.
And it is because of these improvements that Charalambides is confident his side will not freeze on the very biggest stage.
"We will be disciplined, energetic, compact and will stick to the system that has got us here," Charalambides explains.
"We will not play for ourselves, we will play for each other. We will be playing against great players but most of our squad are very experienced."
Those players include Polish duo Kamil Kosowski and Marcin Zewlakow, Albania's Altin Haxhi and Greek defender Savvas Poursaitides.
A lot will depend on 33-year-old Greek keeper Dionisios Chiotis who performed heroics in Madrid including two wonderful saves from former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan.
Chiotis performed heroics in Madrid to keep out Atletico's strikers
Apoel are also waiting on the fitness of strike duo Zewlakow and Adrian Sikora, while defenders Joost Broerse and Paulo Jorge are definitely out. Their line-up also includes former Chelsea defender Nuno Morais, who failed to make an impact at Stamford Bridge.
But, despite recently suffering with a cold, 28-year-old Charalambides will definitely play and the game marks a huge moment for the Nicosia-born winger who came through the club's academy.
Now in his second spell at his hometown club, Charalambides appreciates the magnitude of facing Chelsea.
"I joined the club when I was eight, it was always my dream to play for Apoel," he said.
"Qualifying for the Champions League is the most historical moment for this club. That makes me proud because I consider this to be my club."
After leaving Apoel in 2004, Charalambides played across Europe, including spells at Greek side Panathinaikos, German club Carl Zeiss Jena, as well as a three-week trial at Cardiff City.
Charalambides came close to earning a "dream" contract at the Bluebirds and is still bewildered as to why it never came to fruition.
So he returned to Apoel in January 2008 for a second spell at the club and the tie with Chelsea proved he made the right decision.
"You play in the Champions League for exactly these games," he said.
"Preparing for a game against Chelsea is different, people are a little more nervous but we know how to react in these situations.
"We are prepared and professional and no-one is overawed, believe me."
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