Pafos FC: This is the opponent of FC Bayern in the Champions League

Pafos FC is an unknown size on the international football stage. The club name should hardly say anything in Germany, the vast majority of players. That should change this Tuesday: At 9 p.m., the club from Cyprus receives FC Bayern Munich in the Ligaphase of the Champions League.

A historical evening for Pafos: It is the first home game in the club’s history in the premier class. The club was only founded in 2014 as a merger of two smaller clubs, and international experience was limited to a few games in the Conference League before this season. There, Pafos reached the round of 16 last year.

In the background of PAFO FC, two Russian investors pull the threads: Sergey Lomakin and Roman Dubov have financed the steep ascent within a few years. Lomakin is a co -founder of one Retail chain, Dubov in the real estate sector. The project is therefore quite controversial.

Pafos does not put the large transfer sums on the table, but the money is invested in infrastructure. Trainer Juan Carlos Carcedo, who has been in office since 2023, said the “Bild am Sonntag”: “The project was totally exciting, also because then participating in international competitions was already a goal. That we are already in the Champions League Playing, nobody would have been dreamed of at the time. “

After initial difficulties – including a descent – the young club is one of the top clubs Cyprus. After the qualification for the Conference League, Pafos became championship in the Cypriot First Division last season and broke into the phalanx of clubs from Nicosia and Limassol, which had divided the titles among themselves in recent years.

You look in vain for known names in the Pafos squad – except for one. David Luiz, now a 38 -year -old former world -class football player, spends the late evening of his career in Cyprus. Luiz played 57 caps for Brazil, in the legendary 1: 7 against Germany in 2014 he was captain. In 2012 he defeated FC Bayern with FC Chelsea in the “Finale Dahoam” and won the Champions League. Actually, the defender had already moved back home, but Pafos FC managed to lure him to Europe again.

In order to take part in the Champions League league phase, Pafos had to survive three qualification rounds as a Cyprical champion. After victories against Maccabi Haifa, Dynamo Kiev and Red Star Belgrade, the way to the premier class was clear. The club also benefited from the Champions League reform, through which the field of participants was enlarged to 36 participants-and from the exclusion of the Russian master FK Krasnodar. Now the Cypriers have the opportunity to measure themselves against the best teams in Europe.

This also includes FC Bayern. The German record champion is a clear favorite in the direct meeting on the Mediterranean coast. Especially in the current form, in the Bundesliga the Munich players are playing in a different sphere. The game is played in Limassol because the stadium in Pafos is not suitable for a game of this size.

“Until recently, FC Bayern would be a guest in the Champions League was still completely unimaginable – now we just want to enjoy it, “says coach Carcedo. However, the Cypriers should not be underestimated. They showed this in their first Champions League game two weeks ago. The Greek club Olympiakos Piraeus, as an outsider, defied a 0-0 with a courageous performance. Even though Pafos played tenth for more than an hour.