Pafos vs Maccabi Tel Aviv: UEFA Champions League Prediction (23.07.2025)

On July 23, 2025, at 00:00 WIB, the first leg of the UEFA Champions League qualification quarterfinals will take place between Pafos and Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Cypriot team will host the match in Kolossi, a neighboring area of Limassol, as their home stadium does not meet Champions League standards. However, bookmakers believe this will not significantly affect the home support, and slightly favor Pafos in this encounter. Let’s take a look at the current form of both teams and provide a match prediction.

Pafos

Pafos became champions of Cyprus for the first time last season, earning a spot in the Champions League qualifiers. The team confidently outpaced their competitors, finishing seven points ahead of second-placed Aris. However, they failed to secure a domestic double, losing the Cyprus Cup final to AEK Larnaca in a penalty shootout. Since then, the team hasn’t played an official match for nearly two months. Their preparations for this fixture have included several friendlies, which were largely successful.

It’s worth noting that Pafos already has some experience in European competitions. Last season, they reached the main stage of the UEFA Conference League and advanced to the playoffs. In the first round, they defeated Omonia, but were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Swedish side Djurgården.

Maccabi Tel Aviv

The Israeli club is no stranger to European competition either. Last season, Maccabi claimed their 26th domestic title and now return to the Champions League qualifiers. They resumed competitive action on July 13 in the Israeli Super Cup, where they lost 1–2 to Hapoel Be’er Sheva. The team also played a friendly, defeating Hapoel Ironi Rishon 2–1. However, it’s clear the players are still not in peak form.

Last season, Maccabi Tel Aviv participated in the UEFA Europa League but failed to reach the playoffs, finishing with only 6 points from 8 group stage matches.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

There is no head-to-head history between the teams — this will be their first encounter.

Prediction

For the Pafos vs Maccabi Tel Aviv match, we predict a low-scoring game. The Cypriot side tends to play more defensively, while the Israeli visitors are not yet at full match sharpness. In this case, a logical choice would be to bet on under 3 total goals, with odds of 1.64.