Juventus vs Pafos FC

Having suffered a 2-1 loss to Serie A champions Napoli on Sunday, the Old Lady returns to continental duties with a decisive fixture against Pafos. Juventus [DDLDW] head into Matchday 6 with a long-awaited boost of confidence after finally recording their first UEFA Champions League win of the season. A dramatic 3-2 victory at Bodø/Glimt, sealed by Jonathan David’s stoppage-time strike, has lifted spirits in Turin, and they now have an opportunity to build on that result when tournament debutants Pafos visit the Allianz Stadium. This will be the first ever meeting between the clubs, but the historical figures immediately underline how big the challenge is for the Cypriot champions. Juventus have faced teams from Cyprus six times before and won all six matches, scoring 25 goals and conceding only three. In home games alone, they have struck 13 goals in three matches against Cypriot sides, letting in only one. Their last encounters with a team from the country came 25 years ago, when they beat Omonoia 5-2 away and 5-0 at home in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup. A lot has changed for Juve since then, of course, and change has been a theme again this season following the dismissal of coach Igor Tudor in late October and the arrival of Luciano Spalletti shortly after. His task has been to steady a team that finished 20th in last season’s league phase and then exited in the knockout play-off round. Spalletti will be hoping to lead Juventus to back-to-back Champions League victories for the first time since the early stages of last season. A 3—4—2—1 formation with Luis Openda in attack is expected against Pafos. Dusan Vlahovic is ruled out due to injury.

A heavy 5-1 loss to Bayern München on Matchday 2 remains Pafos' only defeat in 11 Champions League fixtures this season. In addition, they have proven stubborn opponents, drawing three of their five league-phase matches. Their first win at this level – a 1-0 home victory over Villarreal on Matchday 4 – was a historic result for Cypriot football, ending a 13-year wait for a group-stage win by a club from the country. Pafos have also shown resilience away from home, earning goalless draws at Olympiacos and Kairat Almaty. The Greek outfit will be looking to cause some problems for the Old Lady when they make the trip to Turin. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Anderson Silva in attack is expected against Juventus. João Correia is suspended for this fixture.