Marios Georgiou:We have nothing to lose against R.Madrid

The Cypriot outfit were rewarded for their shock progression against Olympique Lyonnais in the round of 16 with a dream tie against Jose Mourinho's men, and the patron has called on his players to rise to the occasion and give it their best shot. "It's fantastic for us. We've done something a Cypriot team has never done before and I believe it will be difficult for us to reach the last eight, but it's fantastic [nevertheless]," Georgiou said after the draw. "It's a fairytale for us and we've enjoyed it 100 per cent. We have nothing to lose, only to gain. We are relaxed and free of anxiety, so we are going to enjoy it. "Of course, all dreams must come to an end at some point and I think we are almost at the end of the dream. "I know that everybody [in the draw] wanted APOEL as an opponent, and that's an honour for us. But to have the chance to play Real Madrid is a really special experience." "For the first-leg [in Nicosia], the whole of Cyprus will be watching. Our players want to do APOEL proud." Georgiou also reflected on the factors he feels have propelled APOEL to their unchartered success in Europe's premier club competition this season, namely coach Ivan Jovanovic. and the players for their commitment to the cause. "The key to our success was down to both our coach [Ivan Jovanovic], who built this team from scratch, and the belief of the players," he enthused. "Even though we come from a small country, we have players of a high quality, and they showed that in the group stage and the round of 16. "We had great games against big teams with budgets 10, even 20 times bigger than ours, and now we have Madrid in front of us, we will try even harder. "The odds are against us, but to play against Madrid is an honour for us." APOEL entertain Jose Mourinho's men on March 27 at 20.45CET