PAOK lost to Bohemians in the first match of the UEFA Europa Conference League, but they can fix their mistake. If the club from Thessaloniki manages to win with a 2 goal difference, they can make it to the next round. Can PAOK make this happen?
PAOK form
PAOK finished second in the Greek championship and won the national cup as well last season. The club has many players whose names are well known in Europe: Omar El Kaddouri, Fernando Varela, and Vieirinha played in the European top teams, and Andrija Živković was a very promising young player as well. The undisputed leader of the club is the the19-year-old forward Christos Tsolis. Last season he scored 16 goals and made 10 assists. Michael Krmencik left the Thessaloniki club this off-season, but Nelson Oliveira was hired to replace him. Jasmin Kurtic is the best reinforcement the team hired and for sure all of these new players are brought to make PAOK a championship contender. In the upcoming match, Vasilios Fasidis, Douglas Augusto, and Sverrir Ingason will not play.
The football season has not yet started in Greece, and before the start of the European competitions, Razvan Lucescu's charges have played already five friendly matches, achieving 4 victories so far. The PAOK was defeated only by PSV with a score of 0-1, but in sparring, they defeated Feyenoord 2-1. Nelson Oliveira showed himself best of all during these 5 matches, and that is why he is well regarded in the team.
Bohemians form
Bohemians played in the Europa League last season and were eliminated in the first round, but in this round of the Conference League, things are looking much better for the team. The Irish club got past Stjarnan and Dudelange, and they still have a chance of qualifying for the final. Bohemians so far are only in third place in their home league. Georgie Kelly is the club's biggest star, scoring 12 goals in his first league campaign. The young Ross Tierney recorded four goals and gave 12 assists and it's quite possible that he will try himself in a stronger championship in the near future.
The day before Keith Long's charges had an eight-match winning streak but lost on away game to Waterford United with a score of 0-1. From the very beginning of the game Bohemian gave their opponent the initiative and had no chance to get even. On the 10th minute the club from Dublin nearly missed the game. By the end of the first half the opponent took the advantage, and after the break they had a great opportunity to double the lead. The Goalkeeper James Talbot stopped a one-on-one shot, and then stopped the ball from going to the rebound. Bohemians themselves didn't create a single chance, although many of their leading players were deployed on the field.
Expert betting tips
Bohemians looked very weak in the last match of the championship and lost on all counts to one of the outsiders. The Irish club is less confident playing away, and in the first meeting they barely got the advantage. PAOK performed well in the preseason, it is much stronger on the level of players, and it rarely loses playing at home. Everything is in favor of the club from Thessaloniki, so I suggest betting on the following outcomes:
- PAOK to win for 1.20;
- Total under 3.5 for 1.75;
- Both teams will not score for 1.85.