Head-to-head

Chelsea play Pafos for the first time in our history. Our only previous encounters with a Cypriot team occurred during the 2009/10 Champions League group stage against APOEL. Nicolas Anelka scored the only goal in Cyprus, while Michael Essien and Didier Drogba were on target in a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Pafos will be the 66th different opponent we have faced in the Champions League, including qualifiers, and Cyprus is one of 36 different countries from where we have played teams in European competition.

Chelsea's biggest home win in the Champions League:

Chelsea 6-0 Maribor | 2014/15 | Group stage
Chelsea 6-0 Qarabag | 2017/18 | Group stage

Chelsea stats

The Blues are competing in our 20th Champions League campaign. We have made the knockout stage in each of our past eight appearances.

We have lost just two of our last 62 European group stage or league phase matches at Stamford Bridge and are unbeaten in 17 (13 wins, four draws) since a 1-0 Champions League defeat against Valencia in September 2019.

Since a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in April 2023, the Blues have scored in our past 21 European games. We have also opened the scoring in our last five.

We have won nine of our last 10 home European matches (one defeat to Legia Warsaw), including all three this season.

Champions League results

Bayern Munich (A) L 3-1
Benfica (H) W 1-0
Ajax (H) W 5-1
Qarabag (A) D 2-2
Barcelona (H) W 3-1
Atalanta (A) L 2-1

Champions League scorers:
Estevao 3 (1 pen), Caicedo 1, Delap 1, Fernandez 1 (pen), Garnacho 1, George 1, Guiu 1, Joao Pedro 1, Palmer 1, Own goal 2

Champions League assists:
James 2, Santos 2, Fernandez 1, Fofana 1, Gittens 1, Gusto 1

Milestones

This is our 100th Champions League game proper at Stamford Bridge. We have recorded 62 wins, 25 draws and 12 defeats, with 196 goals scored and 76 conceded, in the previous 99.

The Blues need to score four goals to reach 200 in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge (excluding qualifiers).

Cole Palmer is two goals away from a half-century for Chelsea. He will become the 41st player to reach that milestone for the club.

Pafos stats

Last season

Cypriot First Division: Winners
Cypriot Cup: Runners-up
Cypriot Super Cup: Runners-up
Europa League: First qualifying round
Conference League: Round of 16
Top scorer in all competitions: Anderson 17

Established in 2014 through the merger of AEP Paphos and AEK Kouklia, Pafos secured their first significant achievement a decade later by winning the Cypriot Cup.

Last season was a historic campaign for Pafos. Not only did they win their first league title, finishing seven points clear of Aris Limassol, but their maiden European campaign took them all the way to the Conference League Round of 16, where they lost to Djurgarden in our half of the knockout draw.

This season, Pafos are one of two teams making their debut in the main stage of the Champions League, alongside Kairat Almaty.

They progressed through three qualifying rounds, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv (2-1), Dynamo Kyiv (3-0) and Red Star Belgrade (3-2) on aggregate. They won all three away matches in those ties, although due to conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, the first two were held at neutral venues.

Champions League results

Olympiacos (A) D 0-0
Bayern Munich (H) L 5-1
Kairat Almaty (A) D 0-0
Villarreal (H) W 1-0
Monaco (H) D 2-2
Juventus (A) L 2-0

Champions League scorers:
David Luiz 1, Luckassen 1, Orsic 1, Own goal 1

Pafos are the third team from Cyprus to reach the Champions League proper after APOEL (four times) and Anorthosis Famagusta (once), and the first since APOEL in 2017/18.

Pafos have never faced an English side in European competition before.

There is a familiar face in the Pafos side. Brazilian defender David Luiz had two spells at Chelsea from 2011 to 2014 and 2016 to 2019, making 248 appearances, scoring 18 goals, and winning the Premier League, two FA Cups, the Champions League and two Europa Leagues.

With his goal for Pafos against Monaco on matchday five, he became the second-oldest player to score a Champions League goal (38 years, 218 days).

Pafos' defeat at Juventus on matchday six ended their five-match unbeaten away run, although they are without a goal in their three league phase matches on the road.

Albert Celades' management record vs Chelsea

Won: 1
Drawn: 1
Lost: 0

On 9 January, Pafos appointed Albert Celades as their new head coach following the departure of Juan Carlos Carcedo to Spartak Moscow.

Celades was in charge of Valencia when they became the last away team to win a Champions League group stage or league stage game at Stamford Bridge in 2019.

Last five results

Paralimni (a) W 2-0
Apollon (a) L 2-1
Chloraka (Cup, h) W 2-1
Omonia Aradippou (h) W 2-0
Olympiakos Nicosia (a) L 2-0

Last Champions League line-up

Juventus 2-0 Pafos
Wednesday 10 DecemberTeam (3-4-2-1): Michael; Luckassen, David Luiz, Goldar (c) (Pileas 78); Bruno, Sunjic, Pepe, Correia (Langa 89); Orsic (Jaja 78), Dragomir (Bassouamina 78); Anderson (Quina 62)

Discipline

There are no suspensions. Andrey Santos is one Champions League booking away from a one-match suspension.

As from the first match in the league phase, players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after three cautions, that did not result in a red card, as well as after any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc).

Champions League yellow cards
Santos 2, Caicedo 1, Chalobah 1, Estevao 1, Fernandez 1, Gusto 1, James 1, Tosin 1

Champions League red cards
Joao Pedro 1

Match officials

Referee: Erick Lambrechts
Assistants: Jo de Weirdt, Kevin Monteny
Fourth official: Nathan Verboomen
VAR: Carlos del Cerro Grande