Carver’s warning to McInnes:
DONS IN EUROPE Ex-Toon boss fears Reds gaffer Del will be targeted by crazy Apollon fans in Euro cauldron
play-off round for the first time in four attempts under McInnes.
But the Dons – who haven’t made the group stage of UEFA’s second tier competition in a decade – are in for a tense night.
Apollon boss Sofronis Avgousti is banned from the dugout after being sent to the stand at Pittodrie and Carver doesn’t want the same to happen to McInnes.
The Cypriots have been forced to switch the tie to Larnaca, 40 miles away, as their own stadium doesn’t meet UEFA criteria.
But tomorrow’s match is still a sell-out and Carver insists it will be hostile at the 7400-capacity AEK Arena.
He said: “Derek McInnes is in for it. The fans are right on top of you and they have a group who stand behind the away dugout and barrack the away coach from the first minute until the last. The boss and subs must stay calm.
“It doesn’t matter that Apollon are not in their own stadium. They are passionate and noisy.
“Limassol is only about a 30-minute drive from Larnaca so they will have a good following. It is a new stadium and the pitch is immaculate.
“The fact they are trailing 2-1 won’t bother Apollon as the Cypriot Cup is played over two legs. My last game was at their place in the cup.
“It was abandoned due to crowd trouble after our fans went crazy as we had drawn 2-2 at home and were 3-1 down.”
Irish side Cork City bowed out of Europe to AEK Larnaca in the new stadium Aberdeen will play in tomorrow night.
Conditions were pretty tough with temperatures of 30 degrees plus and humidity at over 50 per cent during the match despite the entire pitch being in the shade.
Carver believes the Cypriots will try to use that, saying: “They play a high pressing game and don’t give you any time on the ball – that’s how they play in the heat. The only thing is that it is on the coast and may get a breeze at night. In Nicosia it’s 98 degrees in the evening!” Carver also reckons Arnason will be a big hit in his second stint at Aberdeen. He said: “I took Kari to Cyprus. He scored in his first game then cracked his ribs so I lost him for the big games. “By the time he was fit again I had left. He was a big miss.” Ex-Scotland boss George Burley lasted just two games in charge of Apollon and Carver admitted it’s tough in Cyprus. He added: “I came out in June last year and was one of the longestserving coaches – I lasted until the end of February!”