Meeting for the first time on the European stage, Pafos FC will welcome Monaco to Alphamega Stadium in Cyprus in the first match taking place on Wednesday in the Champions League.
Both sides came away with victories on matchday four and are each on five points with Pafos blanking Villareal 1-0 and Les Monegasques edging past Bodo/Glimt by that same narrow margin.
Match preview
History was made earlier this month for Pafos with their triumph over former Europa League champions Villareal being their first in this competition proper.
Having only been created 11 years ago, this club have come a long way and have been a worthy competitor in this tournament, earning points in three of their four matches played.
Juan Carlos Carcedo’s men enter this game on a four-match unbeaten run across all competitions, conceding a goal or fewer in each of those encounters.
On Wednesday, they can become the first club from Cyprus to win consecutive matches in this competition, suffering just one defeat in the Champions League this season, counting the qualifiers (5-1 at home to Bayern Munich).
Pafos have netted a mere two goals in the League Phase, the joint-second-fewest heading into matchday five, though they have only conceded a combined five in this stage thus far.
Seven of their eight Champions League goals allowed this season took place at Alphamega Stadium, where they have netted a goal or fewer in four of their five fixtures.
© Imago / PRESSE SPORTS
In the Principality, things have reached new lows this month with Monaco losing three of their four competitive games and scraping by in their lone Champions League triumph.
We have yet to see much of a new manager bump since Sebastien Pocognoli took charge, with the Belgian winning just three of his eight matches in charge across all competitions.
Defensively, this group have been highly erratic and out of sorts of late, conceding four goals in their previous two Ligue 1 encounters, losing both of those games by a 4-1 score.
Their backline have looked a lot stingier in Europe of late, posting back-to-back clean sheets, and on Wednesday, this team can go three consecutive Champions League matches without conceding for the first time since the 2014-15 group stage.
Meanwhile, they enter this contest on a three-match unbeaten run in this tournament and have an opportunity to win successive Champions League away games in the group phase for the first time in the 21st century.
Two of their previous three competitive victories took place outside Stade Louis II, with Les Monegasques collecting points in three of their last four matches played away from home.
Pafos FC Champions League form:
Pafos FC form (all competitions):
Monaco Champions League form:
Monaco form (all competitions):
Team News
© Imago / ZUMA Press Wire
On matchday five, Pafos will be without Pedrao, who is recovering from cruciate ligament surgery, while Joao Correia will miss another match through suspension.
Derrick Luckassen scored early in the second half against Villareal, while Neofytos Michail made five stops for his third clean sheet of the League Phase.
A hamstring strain could keep Christian Mawissa out of the fold for Les Monegasques, while Eric Dier suffered a setback in his recovery from a calf issue and Paul Pogba played his first minutes of football on Saturday since his doping ban over two years ago.
Folarin Balogun, who had their only goal versus Bodo/Glimt, could return to the pitch despite missing their 4-1 defeat versus Rennes through suspension, while Lukas Hradecky should start between the sticks, playing the full 90 minutes on Saturday in place of Philipp Kohn, who had a clean sheet in their previous Champions League outing.
Pafos FC possible starting lineup:
Michail; Felipe, Luckassen, Luiz, Sema; Sunjic, Goldar, Pepe; Jaja, Dragomir, Quina
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Kehrer, Salisu, Henrique; Minamino, Teze, Zakaria, Ouattara; Akliouche, Golovin; Balogun
Featured betting offer: Get 50/1 on a goal to be scored in PSG vs Spurs
Elsewhere on Wednesday night, Tottenham will be looking to bounce back from their North London Derby humiliation at the hands of Arsenal.
Travelling to Paris, they face a stiff challenge against Champions League holders Paris Saint Germain. Betfair are offering new customers 50/1 boosted odds on a goal to be scored in the game, exclusively for those signing up with the promo link below.
Only a £1 bet is required and you can see full terms and conditions by tapping below.
© Sports Mole
Place a max £1 bet on “Over 0.5 Goals” in the Over/Under Goals market in PSG v Spurs on Wednesday 26th November. Winnings paid in cash at normal odds and are topped up to the enhanced price in Free Bet builder bets. Free bets are valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Cards & Apple Pay will qualify. T&C’s apply. Please gamble responsibly.
Get 50/1 odds on a goal to be scored in PSG vs Spurs
We say: Pafos FC 0-0 Monaco
On paper, Monaco are the better side, but their poor defensive structure domestically has us believing they will lack aggression going forward, leading to a defensive stalemate against a well-organised team in Pafos.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
