What's at stake
A share of the spoils would suffice, but netting maximum points is the goal to climb further up the league phase To insert a text box click here
Juventus snatched their maiden Champions League victory this term, courtesy of Jonathan David poaching an added time winner at Bodo/Glimt, Norway.
The Bianconeri will polish off their Champions League campaign in January, entertaining Portuguese giants Benfica and then visiting Paul Pogba's AS Monaco. Those ties are tricky, which makes beating Pafos important to avoid not qualifying for the lucrative knockout stages.
Recent form
After Juventus scored a five-goal Champions League success in Norway, they followed it up with a tense triumph over Serie A strugglers Cagliari, breezed past Udinese in the Coppa Italia but came a cropper at Naples.
Napoli manager Antonio Conte outwitted Luciano Spalletti, with a commanding first half that left the Bianconeri chasing shadows. Kenan Yildiz, employed as a false no9 for the first time by Juventus, equalized after the turnaround but the hosts were far superior to Juve last Sunday. Spalletti subjected to his first defeat at the Turin titans.
Juventus, who have only lost two of their past 11 home Champions League ties, have already had a hat-trick of entertaining stalemates in the competition this season. They finished 4-4 against Borussia Dortmund, 2-2 at Villarreal and played out a frustrating 1-1 home draw with Sporting Lisbon.
Turkish talent Yildiz continues to steal the show, and may be part of another tactical tweak upfront for the Pafos clash in the absence of Juve's star striker Dusan Vlahovic.
At the other end of the pitch there remains the same defensive vulnerability that former Juve boss Igor Tudor failed to sort out in his seven-month stint.
Pafos, who picked up their first-ever league title last season, have only tasted one defeat from five games during their debut Champions League campaign. They battled through three qualifying rounds against big name clubs, and have held their own in the competition apart from their 5-1 reversal to Bayern Munich.
Juan Carlos Carcedo’s troops have constantly shown resilience, which was reflected in twice bouncing back after conceding to AS Monaco when former Brazil defender David Luiz scored at the grand age of 38 years.
Yet Pafos lack the same flair on their travels in Europe's leading club competition, finishing scoreless at both Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan and Olympiacos in Greece. After facing the fallen Italian giants, Pafos will visit Chelsea and host Slavia Prague to conclude their league phase matches.
Team news
Goalkeeper Carlo Pinsoglio (calf), defensive duo Federico Gatti (knee) and Daniele Rugani (muscle) plus forwards Arkadiusz Milik (shin) and Vlahovic (adductor) are all injured.
Defender Gleison Bremer (knee) and shotstopper Mattia Perin (physical discomfort) have been given the all clear to be in Spalletti's squad.
Canada international David is expected to spearhead the attack, favored over the natural pace of Belgium striker Lois Openda. The pair are on the wanted list of German and Spanish sides.
Yet Yildiz could be given the nod, bearing in mind his impressive form in front of goal in Turin. The 20-year-old's has been involved in eight Serie A goals this term, with seven of these on home turf.
With former Italy internationals Gatti and Rugani unavailable, Teun Koopmeiners is likely to continue to play in defense.
The Cypriot champions welcome the return of right-back Joao Correia following his two-match UEFA suspension. Center-back Pedrao (knee) and left winger Ken Sema (knock) are out of the encounter.
The leadership of Luiz, who will make his 59th Champions League appearance against Juventus, and
Croatia left winger Mislav Orsic will bring experience to Pafos for the big occasion in Turin.
Juventus manager quotes
Spalletti admitted at his pre-match press conference: "Pafos is a tough team, with a lot of Brazilian and Portuguese players who know how to play football ... and have consistently given their opponents a hard time.
"They are a very tough team physically, every tackle will be a story. The Cypriots are very good at set pieces, with three of their four goals scored in this competition using this technique.
"They are very dangerous from the attacking midfield onwards. We'll have to be good at avoiding their counterattacks.
"Now I know more about the players I have at my disposal, and that's crucial for me. Some aspects have improved, but we still can't consistently replicate them during matches.
Expected lineups
Juventus possible starting XI:
Di Gregorio - Kalulu, Kelly, Koopmeiners - McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso - Conceicao, Yildiz -David
Pafos possible starting XI:
Michail - Bruno, Luiz, Luckassen, Goldar - Sunjic, Pepe - Jaja, Dragomir, Orsic - Anderson
OldJuve prediction
Juventus 1 Pafos 1
Although the Bianconeri have scored at least four goals in their past four games against Cypriot teams, to extend their winning run against the islanders to six matches, Pafos are not a pushover.
Pafos battled at Fiorentina, but fell 3-2 in their Conference League encounter. As Juve have conceded in every Champions League tie this term, Pafos will fancy scoring and have been on target in their past four ties.
Fearless Pafos boast only one defeat in 11 European fixtures this season, outmuscled by Bayern Munich, but learned from that demolition. Spalletti needs to be fully prepared for a tactical battle.
Should Juventus succumb to a third home Champions League draw on the spin at the hands of Pafos, they will at least have improved on their poor 2018 form on home soil in the competition when they lost once and drew twice.