Marcel Schmelzer was among the Borussia Dortmund contingent that touched down at Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus, where the sun was shining and the temperature was almost 30 degrees, before beginning the almost 45-minute bus transfer to the capital, Nicosia. 

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The left-back boarded the four-hour flight after recovering from the ankle injury he sustained against Freiburg over five weeks ago, and could be in line to make his comeback against Apoel Nicosia on Tuesday evening. "I have now trained with the team three times and am making the trip so I can train with them tonight too," said the 29-year-old prior to departure. "Then we'll decide whether it makes sense."

"We've not made a good start to our Champions League campaign and we absolutely want to win the match," said Schmelzer of the encounter in Cyprus. However, he did not want to speak of a "final" or "additional pressure", "because we're aiming to win the two matches against Nicosia. This would mean we'd be under less pressure." (br)