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The Blues are in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, but whether they’ll secure an automatic place in the Round of 16 remains to be seen.
Having lost 3-1 to a rampant Bayern Munich outfit on the opening matchday, Chelsea bounced back to register home victories over José Mourinho’s Benfica and Dutch strugglers Ajax. A hard-fought draw with Qarabağ in Baku then followed, before an emphatic 3-0 triumph over Barcelona put their continental campaign firmly back on track. However, December’s disappointing defeat to Atalanta at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia – which came just three weeks before the departure of Enzo Maresca – has left them two points outside the top eight.
New manager Liam Rosenior has made a positive start to life at Stamford Bridge, but will understand that Pafos could prove extremely tricky opponents.
The Cypriots have given a decent account of themselves in their debut Champions League campaign, although did lose for the second time in three league matches on Saturday evening.
After battling to a draw against Greek giants Olympiacos, Pafos were hammered on home soil by Chelsea’s matchday one conquerors. Following that 5-1 defeat to Bayern, the reigning Cypriot champions acquired five points from their next three fixtures, in a sequence that included a landmark win over Spanish giants Villarreal. However, a fortunate draw with Monaco and a 2-0 loss to Juventus in Turin have somewhat disrupted their momentum.
To reach next month’s play-off round, Pafos will likely need a victory in at least one of their remaining two contests. If they don’t manage that in west London, perhaps the final matchday meeting with Slavia Prague will procure the required points.
Chelsea v Pafos: Key information
Date: Wednesday, 21 January
Kick-off time: 20:00 (GMT)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Assistant referees: Jo De Weirdt and Kevin Monteny; fourth official: Nathan Verboomen)
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Assistant VAR: Pol van Boekel)
TV Channels/Live stream: TNT Sports 3, discovery+
Odds: Chelsea: 1/7, Draw: 15/2, Pafos: 16/1
Odds provided by bet365
Chelsea v Pafos team news
Within 24 hours of Liam Rosenior’s unveiling as Chelsea boss, Albert Celades was appointed Pafos’ new head coach following the departure of Spartak Moscow-bound Juan Carlos Carcedo. Both managers have several injury headaches to contend with, although Rosenior can draw upon several high-quality replacements.
Chelsea team news
Although originally expected to be back in action within a six-week timeframe, Roméo Lavia is still sidelined with a thigh injury. The Belgian international hasn’t played since early November, but is at least back in training. Fellow midfielder Dário Essugo has been out with a similar issue, although he’s a little further forward in his rehabilitation. Having featured as an unused substitute in the FA Cup victory over Charlton and last week’s EFL Cup clash with Arsenal, the Portuguese maestro is close to a full recovery.
Reece James and Cole Palmer missed each of Chelsea’s last two matches, but both players were involved from the start against Brentford. Palmer had been struggling with a muscle strain on the back of persistent groin problems, although he didn’t seem to be in any discomfort as he stroked home a second-half penalty on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Blues skipper James got 85 minutes under his belt after sustaining a hip problem earlier this month.
Jamie Gittens faces a late fitness test as he attempts to shake off an illness, while Malo Gusto is currently carrying a knock. Having ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during pre-season, Levi Colwill remains out for the foreseeable future.
Despite suggesting that Robert Sánchez’s place could be under threat following an error-strewn performance against Arsenal, Rosenior is likely to keep the Spaniard between the sticks. Sánchez managed to deliver a clean sheet on Saturday, but is set to encounter further competition from Filip Jörgensen, who started Rosenior’s first match in charge, over the coming weeks.
Chelsea predicted line-up v Pafos (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Liam Rosenior
Robert Sánchez (GK); Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella; Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández; Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Alejandro Garnacho; João Pedro
Pafos team news
Albert Celades is potentially short of options at the back, as there’s a question mark over the fitness of several key defenders.
Former Chelsea star David Luiz – who made 248 appearances and won three major European honours over the course of two successful spells at Stamford Bridge – hobbled off just twelve minutes into Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Olympiakos Nicosia. His replacement, club captain David Goldar, was then withdrawn before the hour mark after also picking up a knock. It’s unclear as to whether either player will be available for the trip to west London.
Having sustained a cruciate ligament tear within a couple of months of joining Pafos on a season-long loan deal from Cruzeiro, Brazilian centre-back Pedrão remains sidelined. The talented 22-year-old wasn’t included in the Cypriots’ Champions League squad anyway, but his absence continues to have an impact on domestic team selections. Fellow young defender Axel Guessand is also currently ineligible to feature in Europe, while Cape Verdean wing-back João Correia is struggling to shake off an undisclosed issue. That could result in versatile midfielder Ken Sema forming part of a makeshift back three.
Anderson Silva is expected to lead the line, as the Brazilian looks to open up his official Champions League account after netting against Dynamo Kyiv during this season's qualifying stages.
Pafos predicted line-up v Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Albert Celades
Neofytos Michail (GK); Kostas Pileas, Derrick Luckassen, Ken Sema; Bruno Felipe, Ivan Šunjić, Pêpê, Bruno Langa; Vlad Dragomir, Mislav Oršić; Anderson Silva
Where to watch on TV or live stream
TNT Sports customers can follow all of the action at Stamford Bridge on TNT Sports 3, as part of the network’s comprehensive coverage of this week’s Champions League fixture card.
Wednesday’s clash between Chelsea and Pafos will also be streamed live on the discovery+ app, with extended highlights and a full match replay available following the final whistle.
Head-to-head record
Chelsea have only faced Cypriot opposition on two previous occasions, both of which came during the 2009/10 Champions League campaign after being drawn in the same group as APOEL. Following a narrow 1-0 triumph in Nicosia, the Londoners were held to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Last season’s run to the last sixteen of the Conference League was the impressive output of Pafos’ maiden appearance in European competition, so it’s hardly surprising to learn that this week’s encounter with Chelsea represents their first match against a Premier League side.
In the 21 previous meetings between teams from these two countries, a Cypriot outfit has only once managed to overcome an English opponent. That victory was registered at Selhurst Park less than three months ago, when AEK Larnaca stunned Crystal Palace during the Conference League's opening phase.
Chelsea v Pafos - match result odds
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365