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After comfortably brushing aside Dynamo Kyiv in the last round, PAOK welcome Anderlecht to the Toumba Stadium for the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round on Thursday night.
The Greek side won 5-2 on aggregate in the second round, and another victory over both legs would see them set up a play-off tie with either Kairat Almaty Levski Sofia.
Meanwhile, Anderlecht beat Hammarby 4-2 on aggregate, and will be aiming to weigh on their historic success in European football, where they have won five titles.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
PAOK vs. Anderlecht key stats
- PAOK have won five of their six games in all competitions this season (L1).
- Anderlecht are unbeaten in six matches across all competitions this campaign (W4, D2).
- PAOK are unbeaten in the previous two H2Hs (W1, D1).
PAOK vs. Anderlecht preview: Greeks to grind out win?
PAOK vs Anderlecht — Tale of the Tape
| PAOK | vs | Anderlecht |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd (Greek Super League) | Position | 6th (Jupiter Pro League) |
| 64 | Points | 44 |
| 59 | Goals For | 43 |
| 25 | Goals Against | 39 |
| 16 | Clean Sheets | 10 |
| 2nd | Home / Away Rank | 12th |
PAOK's third-place finish in the Greek Super League last season ensured their place in the Europa League qualification rounds.
They have come through two already, and two more would see them qualify for the league phase, like they did in the previous campaign.
PAOK are under new management in Alessio Lisci, who is doing a decent job at the moment after guiding his side past Kyiv in the last round, while the Greeks have also won three of their four friendlies in preparation for their new domestic season.
Taha Ali and Shola Shoretire are injury doubts for the hosts, but they will still be confident of getting a positive result here.
Anderlecht have also recently made a managerial change, with Vitor Bruno's first games being in the last qualifying round.
The Belgians finished sixth in the Jupiter Pro League in 2025/26 to reach Europa League qualifying, and are hoping to get back into European football.
They missed out last term in the Conference League qualifiers, and will be aiming to avoid the same fate, although they are underdogs in the first leg on away soil.
Killian Sardella and Mario Stroeykens are injury doubts for Anderlecht, although Nathan Saliba could return from suspension.
PAOK vs. Anderlecht form guide & betting tips
| PAOK | vs | Anderlecht |
|---|---|---|
WWLWW |
Form | WWWDW |
| 14 | Goals For | 10 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 5 |
WW |
Europa League | DW |
Whispers predicts: PAOK 3-1 Anderlecht
PAOK are 4/5 (1.80) favourites with bookies to win, but while we agree with them, we would like to explore some different bets.
BTTS – Yes at 4/5 (1.80) is priced the same, and is likely to come through given three of the four qualifiers both clubs have been involved in have seen both teams score.
Over 3.5 goals at 23/10 (3.30) is our next pick, which has come through in five of PAOK's last six games in all competitions.
Overall, we are predicting a Correct score – 3-1 at 14/1 (15.00), which is certainly an outsider but one worth punting on.
> BTTS – Yes at 4/5 (1.80) | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 3.5 goals at 23/10 (3.30) | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score – 3-1 at 14/1 (15.00) | Likelihood: Outsider