Limassol, Cyprus. Defending Cypriot champions Pafos FC play their final Champions League league phase match on Wednesday night with a slim, mathematically possible chance of reaching the knockout stage. They host Slavia Prague in Limassol with all 18 fixtures kicking off simultaneously and six playoff places still mathematically available.
Pafos FC’s position and required results
Pafos FC are 30th in the 36-team league phase table with six points from seven games and a goal difference of minus six. The top 24 advance to the next round, while the top eight qualify directly for the round of 16, which Pafos FC can no longer reach.
Pafos FC can still finish as high as 19th, but they must beat Slavia Prague and rely on results elsewhere. In 19th place are Marseille, with Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Club Bilbao, Olympiacos, Napoli, Copenhagen, Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, and Benfica positioned between Marseille and Pafos FC.
Union Saint-Gilloise in 31st and Ajax in 32nd also remain mathematically in contention. Both have the same points as Pafos FC but worse goal differences.
To qualify, Pafos FC need six of the 11 teams above them to drop points and must ensure neither team below them overturns their goal difference advantage.
Key fixtures affecting qualification chances
Marseille face Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium, a match that guarantees at least one of the two teams will drop points. A Marseille win or draw is described as the likely best result for Pafos FC, as overtaking Marseille would require a six-goal swing even if Marseille lose, while Pafos FC can move ahead of Club Brugge with a win provided Club Brugge do not also win, as the Belgian side have seven points.
Olympiacos travel to Amsterdam to play Ajax, with an Ajax win identified as the best outcome for Pafos FC due to Ajax’s superior goal difference. If Pafos FC beat Slavia Prague by one goal, Ajax would need to defeat Olympiacos by seven goals to finish above Pafos FC in the table.
Will Pafos FC secure a win over Slavia Prague and get the results they need elsewhere to stay in the Champions League?
