Chelsea vs Pafos Champions League preview and viewing information
Chelsea return to European motion on Wednesday evening with a fixture that feels quietly important, even when it lacks the acquainted glamour of continental heavyweights. Pafos arrive at Stamford Bridge for the Blues’ penultimate Champions League group sport, with qualification nonetheless delicately balanced and momentum starting to kind underneath new management.
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Chelsea kind and European context
For Chelsea, this marketing campaign has unfolded in suits and begins. Sitting sixteenth within the Champions League desk, they presently occupy a play-off place, sufficient to maintain hopes alive however removed from safe. Victory over Pafos may raise Chelsea into the highest eight, a state of affairs that may assure direct passage to the final 16, although help from outcomes elsewhere would nonetheless be required.
There may be, nevertheless, a way of route starting to emerge. Since arriving from Strasbourg, Liam Rosenior has overseen three matches, a sequence that has provided a glimpse of each promise and fragility. A 5-1 FA Cup demolition of Charlton set an early tone, adopted by a bruising 3-2 Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat to Arsenal. On the weekend, a 2-0 Premier League win over Brentford offered one thing arguably extra beneficial, stability.
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Rosenior first European evening
This match marks Rosenior’s first European fixture as Chelsea head coach, a symbolic milestone even in opposition to modest opposition. Stamford Bridge has usually been the stage for grand European evenings, and whereas Pafos might not stir outdated recollections of Barcelona or Bayern Munich, the stakes stay tangible.
Chelsea know that progress on this competitors usually hinges on effectivity reasonably than spectacle. Management, persistence and professionalism would be the watchwords, significantly in opposition to opponents prone to prioritise form and resilience.
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Acquainted faces and Pafos menace
Pafos deliver an intriguing mix of expertise and familiarity. Former Chelsea defender David Luiz returns to west London, anchoring a squad that additionally consists of Mislav Orsic, Ken Sema, Domingos Quina and Ivan Sunjic. Whereas their European pedigree is restricted, dismissing them can be unwise.
For Chelsea, the problem lies much less in repute and extra in execution. Matches like this have a behavior of tightening if early possibilities go begging.
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watch Chelsea vs Pafos
UK viewers can watch the match reside on TNT Sports activities 3, with protection starting at 7pm forward of an 8pm kick-off. Subscribers can even stream the sport by way of the Discovery+ app and web site.
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With qualification nonetheless unresolved and confidence tentatively constructing, this looks like an evening Chelsea should navigate with readability reasonably than bravado.