Overview
Anderlecht has a great advantage after winning 1-0 against PAOK right at Thessaloniki in the first leg. Mihajlo Cvetkovic scored very early, just one minute after the match started, helping the Belgian team create an important advantage before the second leg.
Anderlecht is the most successful Belgian club in UEFA tournaments with 4 European titles. However, the team that has been the national champion 34 times has experienced a long period of decline. Anderlecht has not won any more domestic titles since 2017, and has also continuously finished fourth in recent seasons and lost 2 cup finals.
Under the leadership of Vitor Bruno, Anderlecht is having a positive start. After overcoming Hammarby in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers, they continued to defeat PAOK before winning the opening match of the national championship.
The 1-0 victory over La Louviere was not really convincing, but Adriano Bertaccini's goal in injury time helped Anderlecht maintain their winning streak and gain more confidence before the second leg.
In the opposite direction, PAOK qualified for the Europa League qualifiers thanks to third place in the national championship last season.
PAOK once started the qualifiers quite impressively when they defeated Dynamo Kyiv with a total score of 5-2. However, the defeat against Anderlecht made the task of winning a ticket to the group stage much more difficult.
Alessio Lisci's team must win in Belgium to nurture hopes of going further, and then have to overcome the play-offs. If they cannot reverse the situation, PAOK will play in the Conference League.
This is definitely not the result that PAOK wants. Last season they advanced to the Europa League knockout stage after defeating notable opponents such as Lille and Real Betis.
Personnel situation
Although they have parted ways with Thorgan Hazard, who scored 15 goals last season, and young talent Nathan De Cat, Anderlecht can still place their trust in Mihajlo Cvetkovic.
The Serbian striker is likely to continue to lead the home team's attack in the second leg. Cvetkovic has scored in both matches of Anderlecht in the Europa League qualifiers this season.
However, Anderlecht is still uncertain about the ability of Killian Sardella and Mario Stroeykens to play. Meanwhile, Ilay Camara and Lucas Hey are definitely absent due to injuries from the pre-season period.
On PAOK's side, Taha Ali continues to be a case that worries the coaching staff. The Swedish international has missed the first leg due to a shoulder injury and is not sure to return in time.
If Ali cannot play, former Shakhtar Donetsk striker Taison is likely to support Anestis Mythou or Alex Jeremejeff in attack.
In midfield, Giannis Konstantelias is a prominent name as he has scored 3 goals in European competitions this season. Captain Andrija Zivkovic is likely to continue to take the right wing position for PAOK.
Expected lineup:
Coosemans, Maamar, Biancone, Petrot, Augustinsson, M. Kana, Saliba, Ambros, Russia Kana, Sikan, Cvetkovic.
Pavlenka, Kenny, Hatzidiakos, Michailidis, Rahman, Santamaria, Zafeiris, Zivkovic, Konstantelias, Taison, Mythou.
The match between Anderlecht and PAOK takes place at 1:30 am on August 14 (Vietnam time).
