Dynamo Kyiv vs Pafos: UEFA Champions League Prediction (05.08.2025)

On August 5, 2025, at 20:00 CET, the first leg of the Champions League qualification semifinals will take place between Dynamo Kyiv and Pafos. The game will be held at a neutral venue in Lublin, Poland. Bookmakers see the nominal hosts as the favorites. We will look at the current form of the teams and give our prediction for the match.

Dynamo Kyiv

The reigning champions of Ukraine had a very mixed pre-season. The team won only 1 out of 6 friendly matches. Dynamo started the Champions League qualification from the second round (quarterfinal). The draw was frankly kind to them – Maltese side Hamrun was clearly not the worst possible opponent. Oleksandr Shovkovskyi’s men advanced to the qualification semifinals without any particular problems, winning both matches with the same score of 3–0. Dynamo approaches the upcoming match after the first round of the Ukrainian championship against Veres.

Pafos

Pafos are the reigning champions of Cyprus. However, the local league is not highly rated on the European stage. Therefore, even the best clubs from this island nation do not reach the level of mid-table teams in European competitions. Nevertheless, Pafos are conducting a very interesting transfer policy. The team is constantly strengthening. The club is also trying to sign in the near future an experienced and well-known defender – David Luiz, who has played for Chelsea, PSG, and Arsenal. It is worth noting that Pafos performed quite well in last season’s European campaign. The team reached the Round of 16 in the Conference League. In the current competition, they have already knocked out Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League qualification – 1–1 at home and 1–0 away.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

There is no head-to-head history. The teams will meet for the first time, which only adds intrigue to the upcoming game.

Prediction

In the Dynamo Kyiv – Pafos match, we give our prediction in favor of the nominal hosts. Dynamo’s qualification path resembles the early rounds of the Ukrainian Cup – first a frankly weak opponent, followed by a stronger team they would be ashamed to lose to. The champions of Ukraine look clearly stronger in this matchup. Therefore, we suggest betting on a Dynamo Kyiv win at odds of 1.77.