The Daily Star Ireland
PAOK Salonika, a regular contender in European competitions, had aspirations of advancing from the group stage of this season’s Europa League. However, the Greek team is currently 27th in the standings, putting their qualification hopes on the brink of elimination.
Their campaign got off to a rough start with three losses in their first four matches, including setbacks against Galatasaray (3-1), FCSB (0-1), and Viktoria Plzen (2-2), alongside a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United. PAOK managed to recover slightly with a 0-2 victory over Rigas FC in their most recent game. Domestically, however, they are performing much better, sitting in the top three of the Greek league and hoping to narrow the gap with the leaders when they face Panserraikos next weekend.
Ferencvaros, on the other hand, had a shaky start to their European campaign, suffering losses to Anderlecht (2-1) and Tottenham (1-2) in their opening matches. Nevertheless, they rebounded with three consecutive wins, defeating Nice (1-0), Dynamo Kyiv (0-4), and Malmo (4-1), which has lifted them to 11th place in the standings, just one point behind 6th place. The Hungarian side is also second in their domestic league, trailing Puskas FC by a narrow margin. After two straight draws, Ferencvaros will aim to get back to winning ways when they face Debrecen.
PAOK will be without several key players for this match. Backup goalkeeper Pavlenka and central defender Lovren, who joined from Lyon late, have not been included in the squad for this competition. Midfielders Schwab and Murg, as well as striker Taison, are sidelined due to injuries, with Bakayoko also absent.
In attack, PAOK will rely on Bulgarian forward Despodov (2 goals in the league, 1 goal in the Europa League), Serbian winger Zivkovic (2 goals), Moroccan forward Tissoudali (2 goals in the league, 1 goal in the Europa League), and the promising Greek international Konstantelias (21 years old).
Ferencvaros will be without senior defender Raul Gustavo due to injury, but there are no other significant absences. The team has been bolstered by the excellent form of Hungarian international Varga, who has netted three league goals and six in the Europa League, including two doubles in the past two matches. Winger Kady Borges, with two league goals and three assists in the competition, will also be crucial. Forward Saldanha (5 league goals, 1 in the Europa League) and Traoré (3 league goals, 1 in the Europa League) will also be part of the squad for this fixture.
Prediction
PAOK has been involved in high-scoring encounters in their recent Europa League games, and they have consistently found the back of the net. Given that only one of Ferencvaros’ last 16 Europa League matches has ended in a draw, it would be a surprise to see a goalless draw in this game.
Prediction: PAOK 2 : 2 Ferencvaros
