Champions League Quali, 2nd round, first leg, Wednesday, 24.07.2024 at 19:30
It’s not easy to predict this match. PAOK is so highly favored that the search has to be a bit broader to find suitable odds.
In the end, I stuck with Bet365 for my PAOK Banja Luka betting tip and became more and more comfortable with the odds of 1.87 for “PAOK win (HC -2)”
Banja Luka’s preparations came to an end sooner than PAOK Saloniki’s. While the home side only entered the fray in the second qualifying round, Banja Luka had to prove themselves in the first round.
Their performance there against Egnatia Rrogozhine first went into extra time and then even into a penalty shoot-out. However, the visitors were unable to make a lasting impression
The betting providers have opted for a simple picture in the sports betting apps. PAOK are given odds of up to 1.10 to win in their own stadium with hardly any odds worth mentioning.
The visitors have the underdog role, which could hardly be bigger. If Banja Luka wins at the reigning Greek champions, you have the chance to win 26 times your stake. Sounds tempting, but is far too unlikely
Razvan Lucescu led PAOK to the Greek championship last year and introduced the 4-2-3-1 system to the team.
The players felt quite comfortable with the rather reactive approach and took the Greek Super League by storm.
No other team scored more goals (87), let alone conceded fewer (34) than the newly crowned champions.
At the end of the season, the two-headed Eagles of the North had an excellent goal difference of +53 and thus had the national league under control.
The Black & Whites always played with maximum intensity, especially in their own stadium, producing ten wins from 13 home games up until the playoffs.
The goal difference at Toumba Stadium (32:8) was particularly impressive. Only eight(!) goals conceded in their own stadium were possible due to the high quality of the team on the one hand and the frenetic fans in the stands on the other. With an odds boost, you should consider a “Win PAOK & both teams score: No”.
The Greeks also had a lot to play for internationally. Lucescu’s team dominated Group G of the Conference League (Frankfurt, Helsinki, Aberdeen), winning five out of six games and advancing to the round of 16 as group leaders.
In the knockout phase, the Greek champions once again showed their great mentality and turned around a 2-0 deficit from the away game against Dinamo Zagreb with a 5-1 win at home to advance to the quarter-finals.
After two defeats (0:1, 0:2) against FC Brugge, however, they were finally eliminated. So while PAOK played a number of games at European level and produced several great encounters, Banja Luka bowed out after the first qualifying round.
At national level, however, the visitors were the strongest team and secured the championship. The visitors narrowly missed out on the league and cup double, losing the penalty shoot-out
Anyone who assumes that such success guarantees a job for the coach will be surprised by those responsible in Banja Luka.
In Mladen Zizovic, the visitors have a new man on the sidelines who has not yet had much time with the team.
A disadvantage when you consider that Racvan Lucescu has been a fixture in the Greek top team for several years and is used to maximum intensity from his team.
Including qualifying, PAOK had a goal difference of 20:8 in their own stadium in the last Conference League season.
A flame of energy burns in the home side’s chest as soon as they enter the stadium. With their balanced tactics, they will win this first leg with aplomb.
My tip: Victory PAOK (HC -2)
