PAOK vs Olympiacos Prediction: Finally, a derby match with spectators in Greece

The big derby of the Greek championship is being played in Thessaloniki, where the host will try to strengthen their championship ambitions. Olympiakos are far behind in the standings, but in games like this, the ranking is not particularly important. Both want to win. In the fall, PAOK won 4:2 in Athens. Olympiacos will try to win and reduce the gap between these teams in the table. The most important thing about this round in Greece is that the fans are finally back in the stadiums, and this match will have everything that a derby match needs.

Form: LDWWW

PAOK are in the 1st place on the table with 51 points, 16 wins, 3 draws, and 3 defeats. At home, they played 12 matches in which they have 10 wins and two draws. They have almost similar stats as AEK who are in 2nd place because they have the worst goal difference. In the last round PAOK and AEK played in this stadium and the match ended in a draw. This is another difficult challenge for PAOK, but if they want to become champions they have to deal with those kinds of challenges, and it goes well for them so far. They also had a match in the Greek Cup and were defeated by Panathinaikos 1:0, and the rematch is next week in Athens, but as their manager said, the league title is the main goal of the season for PAOK. 

Form: WWLWW

Olympiacos on the other hand can’t be very proud of how they are doing in the league. They are in 4th place with 44 points, 14 wins, 3 draws and 5 defeats. They improved their form lately and in the last 5 matches in the league, they have 4 wins and a defeat. Last week they had a difficult match in the Europa Conference League against Ferencvaros and won 1:0 at home. The rematch is next Thursday, and the focus of the team is mostly on that match and qualifying for the next round. Of course, this match against PAOK is important, but the manager announced that some of the key players may be on the bench or will play only a part-time to be prepared for the trip to Hungary.

In Greece whenever there is a derby, especially when PAOK plays against Olympiacos the stakes are very great, much bigger than 3 points. It’s the pride of the club, fans, and city at the stake. A win here will mean more to PAOK and I expect them to go for it in front of their fans, while Olympiacos is distracted by European competition. In their last 5 matches, both teams have two wins each, and one match ended in a draw. In the first match this season PAOK won away in Athens 4:2, and I expect an open and attractive match once again from these teams and of course goals on both ends.