Beitar Jerusalem Returns to Cyprus for European Conference League Qualifier After 10 Years

Beitar Jerusalem is set to begin its European campaign on Thursday evening with an away match against AEK Larnaca in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. This marks the club's first game in Cyprus in over a decade, the last being during the 2016/17 Europa League qualifiers against Omonia Nicosia at the GSP Stadium.

In that previous encounter, Beitar lost 3-2 in Cyprus after conceding a late goal in the 81st minute but advanced on away goals thanks to a 1-0 victory in the first leg at Teddy Stadium, where Shimon Abuhatzira scored. During the match, Omer Atzili opened the scoring for Beitar, assisted later by Itay Shechter who set up Atzili’s second goal. The Cypriot team equalized through their foreign player Amir Agayev, who would later join Beitar Jerusalem.

Following that campaign, Beitar overcame Latvian side Jelgava to reach the playoff round but were eliminated by Saint-Étienne, missing out on a historic group stage qualification. The current squad lineup includes goalkeeper Boris Kleiman and key players such as Omer Atzili and Itay Shechter, with coaching led by Ran Ben Shimon and assistant Ziv Arie. The upcoming match in Cyprus is highly anticipated as Beitar aims to advance further in European competition.

Summary: Beitar Jerusalem returns to Cyprus for the first time in over 10 years to face AEK Larnaca in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers, recalling their 2016/17 Europa League qualifier experience where they advanced on away goals despite a loss in Cyprus.