Olympiacos vs PAOK Saloniki Match Preview
Olympiakos appeared to be losing points this past weekend when they found themselves 2-1 down to Panserraikos in Super League action, however Ernesto Valverde’s men turned the match on its head scoring three times in the final 20 minutes to win 4-2.
Winning the double is the only way for Olympiakos to erase the bad memories from last season when they lost out on the league and exited the Cup very early. The Piraeus side will fancy their chances of building a good home advantage ahead of their return match against PAOK at their Toumba Stadium. Olympiakos have already defeated PAOK 3-0 at the Karaiskakis Stadium earlier this season.
While their league form has been patchy, PAOK have seemingly settled lately and looked an improved side in the weekend victory over Olympiakos Volos. It does appear though that while the team looks a lock to claim a European spot, it will be Cup competitions that will give the club the greatest chance of success this season. Already in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, PAOK will want to keep it tight at Karaiskakis and bring back a result that will give them a chance of advancing when they have home advantage for the second leg.
In the previous round, both clubs had difficult victories as Olympiakos scored late to overcome Asteras Tripolis 1-0 while PAOK were given a stern test against second division leaders PAS Giannina, but prevailed 2-1.