Rising and cosmopolitan… All you need to know about Pafos FC | OneFootball

Before AS Monaco's unprecedented trip to Cyprus (6:45 pm French time), for the 5th matchday of the Champions League, discover everything you need to know about the Sky Blue and Whites who have qualified for the Champions League for the first time.

After a trip to the north of Europe, it’s off to the South. Winners in Norway over Bodø/Glimt before the international break (0-1), the AS Monaco players now travel to Cyprus to take on Pafos FC, as part of the 5th matchday of the Champions League, this Wednesday (6:45 pm, French time). But before this unprecedented trip to the “island of love”, here is everything you need to know about this team as it discovers the most prestigious of European competitions.. 🔎

A club on the rise (fast) 📈

Formed in 2014 from the merger of the city’s two clubs, AE Paphos and AEK Kouklia, Pafos FC has been playing in the Cypriot first division since the 2017-2018 season. Located on the west coast, the club is developing rapidly, climbing the league table year after year. This steady progress culminated last May with their first-ever league title.

A historic Champions League qualification 🇪🇺

This first-place finish in the league allowed the Sky Blues to participate in the Champions League qualifying rounds. Entering the competition in the second round, they successively defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv (2-1) and then Dynamo Kyiv (3-0), before facing a regular participant in the competition in the playoffs, Red Star Belgrade.

Having won 2-1 in the first leg in Serbia, they managed to secure a 1-1 draw in the return leg thanks to a goal by Jajá at the very end of the match, thus guaranteeing a historic participation in the Champions League phase, only one season after reaching the round of 16 in the Europa Conference League.

A thorn in the side of the competition 🔗

And for their first appearance, Pafos have exceeded all expectations. While they logically succumbed to the juggernaut of Bayern Munich (1-5), the Cypriots have shown remarkable tenacity. After securing two draws while playing with ten men against Olympiacos (0-0) and Kairat Almaty (0-0), they managed to defeat Villarreal (1-0) on the last matchday to clinch their first victory in the competition. They now have five points, the same as AS Monaco and are currently 20th.

A defensive culture instilled by the coach 🔒

It’s a success that is the fruit of Juan Carlos Carcedo’s work. At the helm since 2023, the former assistant to Unai Emery at PSG between 2016 and 2018 has indeed built a squad that knows how to be solid defensively (33 goals conceded in the league in his first season and then 21 the following season in 36 matches). A proponent of the 4-2-3-1 formation, he boasts an average of 1.93 points per game and has won two trophies (the national cup in 2023-2024 and, of course, the league title last May).

A cosmopolitan squad with a famous Brazilian 🌎

The player, who notably played for OGC Nice during his career, can rely on a cosmopolitan squad, as no fewer than 15 nationalities are represented (Netherlands, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, France, Brazil, Mozambique, Serbia, Bosnia, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Croatia, Cape Verde, and Congo). It’s thus a culturally rich dressing room, which notably includes former Brazilian international David Luiz, a surprise arrival at the very end of the summer transfer window.

History to be made with France 🇫🇷

This match will be unprecedented, as, like AS Monaco, which has never played a Cypriot team in its history, Pafos has never faced a French side. Furthermore, the relationship between the sky-blue and white team and France is rather tenuous, with only seven French players having worn the jersey, including former Montpellier player Kévin Bérigaud and Axel Guessand, who is currently in the squad.

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Players to watch 👥

Neofytos Michail 🧤

He has been one of the most decisive goalkeepers in the Champions League this season. With 20 saves, Neofytos Michail has the second-most saves behind Marseille’s Geronimo Rulli. The former APOEL Nicosia and Aris Limassol player, a Cypriot international, also boasts an 80% save rate and has three clean sheets in four matches.

Derrick Luckassen ♟️

He is certainly the epitome of this defensive solidity. Arriving in the summer of 2024, Derrick Luckassen quickly established himself as a regular starter in central defense and is showcasing his qualities in this Champions League campaign, having made the most defensive clearances (52) and headed clearances (31), according to Opta. These impressive statistics were complemented by the winning goal against Villarreal.

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Mislav Orsic 🌪️

He has frequently found the back of the net in the past. A renowned striker during his time at Dinamo Zagreb between 2018 and 2023, scoring 91 goals, Mislav Orsic joined Pafos at the beginning of 2025. While he is struggling to rediscover his former form, he remains a player capable of shining in big matches. For example, he was the one who secured his team’s qualification against Dynamo Kyiv and scored a sublime strike against Bayern Munich.

  Voir cette publication sur Instagram   Une publication partagée par Pafos FC Official (@pafosfc)