Can Paphos surprise in their Champions League debut?

While it will be the visitors’ debut in the premier class, for Olympiacos it is at least a return after several years of absence. With the match taking place on Wednesday at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, the hosts are well ahead in the Olympiacos Piraeus – Paphos betting odds.

While Olympiacos at least has some international experience and even won the UEFA Conference League last year, Pafos’ experience is limited. Still, they did make it to the round of 16 in the Conference League last season.

It is the first matchday of the group stage. For both sides, it is a game in which points are essential. The subsequent tasks will hardly be any easier. Pafos will face Bayern Munich at the end of the month, while Olympiacos will have to compete against the Gunners of Arsenal FC. In addition, Pafos is one of the underdogs of this Champions League season.

There has been no previous encounter between these two teams, but with home advantage behind them, there is no way around the prediction that Olympiacos Piraeus will come out on top against Pafos. Just this weekend, Piraeus won 5-0 against Panserraikos in their own stadium.

This is Paphos’ first appearance in the Champions League after winning the Cypriot championship last season. Their longest international experience to date is in the Conference League. Olympiacos has played internationally repeatedly in recent years and even won the ECL trophy in 2024.

Piraeus is therefore the more experienced team and also has home advantage. The odds for the match between Olympiacos Piraeus and Paphos clearly favor the home team, and accordingly, a bet on an Olympiacos victory is a good option. With the combination that over 1.5 goals will be scored, Betano Sportsbook offers top odds of 1.50.

Paphos has only scored one goal in the league so far, but has been impressive in the Champions League qualifiers, most recently knocking Red Star Belgrade out of the race for the top flight. Piraeus, however, has already scored nine goals in three games in the Greek league and has not conceded a goal so far. Therefore, you can also bet that both teams will not score.

Olympiakos Piraeus vs. Paphos Prediction AI

Even before the start of the Champions League, our artificial intelligence BETSiE ranked Olympiakos Piraeus and Paphos FC as the underdogs of the Champions League. It will be difficult for both teams to reach the next round. However, the hosts have a much better chance in the head-to-head match.

With xG values of 1.26 and 0.42, BETSiE sees a chance that more than 1.5 goals will be scored and that the home team will come out on top in the end. The AI sees only a 24% chance that both teams will score on Wednesday. The hosts have a 59.9% chance of winning, which is why the Olympiacos Piraeus vs. Paphos AI prediction is definitely pointing to a home win.

Olympiacos Piraeus – Statistics & current form

The last time they participated in the Champions League was several years ago, and in 2020, Olympiacos did not make it past the group stage. Their greatest success to date was reaching the quarterfinals in 1999.

With their victory in the 2024 Conference League final against AC Florence, Olympiacos are among the international cup winners, but their chances in the 25/26 Champions League are anything but good. Their schedule includes matches against Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen.

Piraeus secured its participation by winning the championship and has once again made a good start to the season. There have been three games in the Greek Super League 1 so far, from which Piraeus has taken nine points.

Good offense, stable defense

Olympiakos has scored nine goals in its first three games. There were 2-0 wins against Asteras and Volos, and five goals were scored at home against Panserraikos. The results in front of their own fans have therefore been positive so far.

Mehdi Taremi and Ayoub El Kaabi have both scored twice so far. The latter was the top scorer two years ago and has scored 21 goals in his last 23 international games. Both players are fit and available to play on Wednesday.

Konstantinos Tzolakis will be missing on the first matchday of the Champions League. The Greek national goalkeeper, who most recently played for his country against Belarus and Denmark, received a red card in March in the Europa League round of 16 against Bodø/Glimt and will therefore miss the start of the Champions League. He will be replaced by Alexandros Paschalakis.

Roman Yaremchuck, Rodinei, and Gelson Martins are also expected to be out. At least Martins was on the pitch against Panserraikos on Saturday, but had to be substituted after 18 minutes due to injury. It is not clear whether Martins will be available on Wednesday. The right winger is still waiting for his first goal of the season.

Pafos – Statistics & current form

Participating in the Champions League is of course a great success for Pafos, as it will be their debut. In any case, they deserve to be there. Not only did the team win the Cypriot championship for the first time last season under coach Juan Carlos Carcedo, but they also prevailed in the Champions League qualifiers.

Among others, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Dynamo Kiev, and Red Star Belgrade were eliminated. In six games, there were four wins and two draws. The team performed particularly well defensively, conceding only three goals in total. In the league, however, the victory against Nicosia was followed by a defeat against Limassol.

Incidentally, the club has only existed in its current form since 2014, when AE Paphos and AEK Kouklia merged. In this respect, the development over the last ten years has been quite remarkable.

Stable team with individual strengths

Pafos has shown stable team performance in recent years, which has been further strengthened by coach Juan Carlos Carcedo. The players act as a team, but there are also individual players who can score with their vast experience.

With an average age of 26.5, Pafos has one of the oldest squads in the Champions League, but in this respect is on a par with FC Bayern Munich. One player who pushes the average up is the experienced David Luiz. Luiz previously played for Chelsea, Paris and Arsenal. In August, he moved from Fortaleza to Cyprus on a free transfer, giving him another chance to play in the Champions League.

In the league, only center back Derrick Luckassen has scored so far. In the qualifiers, Jajá and João Correia each scored twice and could also pose a threat in front of the Olympiacos goal.

Olympiakos Piraeus – Pafos Head-to-head record

There has been no previous meeting between these two teams. It will also be only the third ever meeting between a Cypriot and Greek team in the Champions League. However, Pafos is already the eighth team from Cyprus to compete in Europe’s premier club competition.

Given that Paphos had to qualify to reach the final round, it could still be an interesting game. In any case, the hosts will not be handed victory on a plate.

Olympiakos Piraeus – Paphos Tip

If you want to get more out of this game with a clear favorite in the Olympiacos Piraeus – Paphos betting odds, you should also keep an eye on betting providers that offer a no deposit free bet. Such offers are always available for new customers.

It will be Paphos’ first appearance on the big stage. The qualifying games were quite convincing, but Wednesday’s match in Greece will be a very difficult task, which is why a victory for the hosts is likely.

The odds can be improved by combining them with over 1.5 goals. Olympiacos won both home games in the league against Asteras and Panserraikos 2-0 and 5-0. Coach José Luis Mendilibar’s team has a strong striker in Ayoub El Kaabi, who has already proven himself internationally and has scored two goals in the league.

Another option would be to bet on the handicap (-1.5). If the hosts Piraeus go into this game with a one-goal handicap, it should still be enough for a win in the end.