PAOK Salonika v Shamrock

PAOK vs Shamrock Rovers Preview

PAOK will be eager to make the most of their second chance in European competition in the play-off stage of the Europa League having recently been dumped out of the Champions League, while Shamrock Rovers find themselves just two games from securing a place in the group stage of this competition but first they must overcome last season's Greek Super League title winners, PAOK.

Having had to endure a rather disappointing pre-season period which saw PAOK slip to three defeats in their four warm-up games with losses incurred against Hibernian, Royale Union SG and Vitesse respectively, the Greek hosts have picked their game up since the competitive season has started as they have lost just once in their five games overall to date.

A 4-2 win on aggregate against Bosnia & Herzegovina outfit Borac Banja Luka in the qualifying round of the Champions League was followed by a narrow 6-5 loss on aggregate to Malmo in the 3rd qualifying round of the elite European competition, so therefore Razvan Lucescu's side will have to take their chances in this upcoming play-off.

Results on home soil at their Stadio Toumbas have been a bit of a mixed bag for PAOK but nevertheless, the Greek hosts have picked up six wins in their last nine games while goals also look set to feature here as seven of these nine home games have also resulted in Over 2.5 goals as well.

Shamrock Rovers managed to squeeze through their previous 3rd qualifying round tie against Slovenian side Celje as the Irish Premier Division club registered a 3-2 win on aggregate thanks to a 3-1 win in extra time in the 2nd leg at their Tallaght Stadium, but recent results suggest Shamrock Rovers could struggle in Greece on Thursday night.

The Irish visitors have managed to capture just four wins within their last 12 matches in all competitions while also being handed six defeats in the process as well, so this inconsistent sequence of results certainly does not bode well for this upcoming trip to the Stadio Toumbas.

Shamrock Rovers also featured in the earlier qualifying rounds of the Champions League but although Stephen Bradley's side registered a 2-1 win on aggregate against Iceland outfit Vikingur Reykjavik, the Irish outfit suffered a heavy 6-2 loss on aggregate to Czech Republic side Sparta Prague, thus resulting in dropping down into the Europa League.

In addition, Shamrock Rovers have collected just two wins in their last 11 outings on the road while also slipping to six defeats.

PAOK v Shamrock Rovers Verdict

It is therefore very difficult to see anything other than a home win here for PAOK along with a few goals into the bargain.

Therefore, our main bet will be PAOK win & Over 2 goals @ 1.53

Other side bets worth considering:

Over 3.5 goals @ 2.00

Correct Score: PAOK 3-1 @ 12.00