Match for the 1st round of the Europa League’s League Phase at Toumba Stadium, home of PAOK.
What We Know
- The two teams last met in the summer of 2004 in Champions League qualifying, with Maccabi Tel Aviv winning both games: 2-1 away and 1-0 at home.
- All four of PAOK’s Europa League qualifying games this summer ended with no goal for one side. Three of them finished in the 0–1 goals range.
- PAOK’s last two Europa League group-stage matches finished with 2–3 goals, as did four of their last five overall.
- PAOK are on a run of five straight N/G results in Europa League group-stage matches.
- Three of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s four Europa League qualifying games this season ended with BTS + Over 2.5.
- Four of Maccabi’s six qualifying games across Europe this summer finished with both teams scoring.
Betting Tip PΑΟΚ - Maccabi Tel Aviv
PAOK appear stronger than Maccabi Tel Aviv, with European success one of the club’s clear season objectives. Collecting maximum points at home is crucial, and the support at Toumba will provide a strong push. The sensible play is the home win, though at current odds it is not exactly a bargain.
- Prediction: PAOK to win
- Odds: 1.65
PΑΟΚ
Securing a place in the Europa League group stage was a key target for PAOK, and they got there by eliminating two opponents in qualifying. First came Wolfsberger (Austria), with both legs finishing goalless before the Greeks edged through 1-0 after extra time. Then came Rijeka (Croatia): after a 1-0 away defeat, PAOK produced a dominant display in the return leg, winning 5-0 to overturn the deficit.
Last season they also featured in the Europa League group stage, finishing 22nd overall with 10 points, before being knocked out in the first knockout round by Steaua Bucharest (1-2, 0-2). Domestically, they placed third in the Greek Super League behind Olympiacos and Panathinaikos. Romanian coach Razvan Lucescu remains at the helm for a fifth straight season.
Notable summer signings include striker Georgios Giakoumakis (Cruz Azul) and attacking midfielder Luka Ivanusec (Feyenoord).
Maccabi Tel Aviv
They began their European journey in the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League, where they were eliminated by Pafos FC (1-1, 0-1) and dropped down to the Europa League.
There, they got past Hamrun Spartans (Malta) with ease (2-1, 3-1), before facing Dynamo Kyiv. A 3-1 home win followed by a narrow 0-1 away loss was enough to book their place in the group stage.
Domestically, Maccabi won the Israeli championship last season, the 26th in their history. Serbian coach Zarko Lazetic continues into his second year in charge. In the previous Europa League group stage, however, they finished 29th and were eliminated. Compared to last season, the squad looks weakened overall.
