Liam Rosenior is hoping to make it two wins in two against Pafos in the Champions League this week as he continues to acclimate to life as Chelsea manager.
- Date: 21/01/2026
- Kick-off: 8:00pm
- Location: Stamford Bridge, West London
Chelsea play their seventh league phase game and look to move a step closer to confirming a top‑eight finish. Pafos, who have come through qualifying and a demanding league phase schedule, sit in the lower reaches of the table and face a daunting task to take anything from west London, with most models projecting a comfortable home victory.
Chelsea’s domestic season has been uneven in patches, but their attacking numbers remain strong. In the Premier League 2025-26, they average 2.17 goals scored and 1.33 conceded per match, with 62% of their league games finishing over 2.5 goals (13 of 21 fixtures), showing their tendency to be involved in relatively open contests, leading to a Champions League campaign where they have generally scored freely at Stamford Bridge, even if clean sheets have not always been automatic.
Recent form captures that pattern, as Chelsea have won one of their last three Premier League matches, a run that includes dropped points despite creating good chances, but their European performances at home have been more assured, with strong xG numbers and multi‑goal victories over opponents below elite level. With the incentive of securing progression and facing one of the weakest sides in the competition on paper, this looks a clear opportunity for them to assert themselves early and use their depth across the 90 minutes.
Pafos arrive in London from a very different footballing environment. In the Cypriot First Division 2025-26 they have posted one of the league’s more eye‑catching statistical profiles, averaging 1.94 goals scored and just 0.82 conceded per match, for a combined match-goals average of 2.76. Over 2.5 total goals has landed in 56% of their First Division fixtures (9 of 16), and their matches have gone over 1.5 in 82%, indicating that domestically they tend to be involved in games with a decent amount of scoring, even if outright goal‑fests are less common.
It's hard to make a reasonable argument in favour of Pafos avoiding defeat here, with Chelsea looking primed to secure a comfortable win.
Chelsea 3-0 Pafos
