Preview: PAOK vs. Aberdeen - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors have only claimed one point from three games in Group B, and they would likely be eliminated from the competition if they do not return from Greece with a win.

Match preview

PAOK, on the other hand, can secure their own progression to the knockout stages with two games to spare by claiming a fourth win from four games in Europe's third competition, after claiming a 3-2 win in Scotland two weeks ago.

Aberdeen had led their opponents 2-0 within the hour mark, but Kiril Despodov and Vierinha levelled the proceedings late on, before Stefan Schwab converted a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time to leave the hosts heartbroken at Pittodrie Stadium.

The Greek side will head into the reverse fixture with plenty of confidence after beating Olympiacos 4-2 away from home in the Greek Super League on Sunday, which moved them one point behind their second-placed opponents, although Panathinaikos retain a four-point lead at the top of the table.

PAOK have some pedigree in this competition having reached the quarter-finals in the tournament's maiden campaign two seasons ago, but they were defeated 3-1 on aggregate by Marseille at this stage. Razvan Lucescu, who was appointed as the club's manager for the second time prior to that season beginning, will have genuine belief that they can go even further this time around.

Aberdeen, on the other hand, are competing at the group stage of a European competition for the first time since being knocked out of the third round of the UEFA Cup by Bayern Munich in the 2007-08 season.

Having fought hard in their defeats to PAOK and the 2022 Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, Barry Robson and his players may feel unfortunate to only have one point on the board, with their 1-1 draw at home against HJK Helsinki proving particularly costly in terms of their hopes of making it to the knockout stages.

However, they will not have completely given up hope yet, especially having significantly boosted their confidence by beating Hibernian 1-0 on Saturday to set up a League Cup final against Rangers next month.

The Dons, who famously won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 1983, have not won a trophy since lifting the League Cup 10 seasons ago, so they will be extremely excited about the prospect of inflicting an upset against the Glasgow giants at Hampden Park.

In the meantime, though, they must defy the odds to claim all three points in Thessaloniki. Otherwise, without an unlikely favour from HJK against Frankfurt, Robson's side will crash out of Europe with two matches remaining.

PAOK Europa Conference League form:

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PAOK form (all competitions):

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Aberdeen Europa Conference League form:

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Aberdeen form (all competitions):

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Team News

PAOK could remain without Marcos Antonio, Ally Samatta and club captain Vierinha due to fitness concerns, while Ivan Nasberg, Joan Sastre, Filipe Soares and Andre Ricardo are all unavailable as they were not registered for this competition.

The likes of Baba Rahman and Kiri Despodov were rested for the reverse match in Scotland, suggesting Lucescu may rotate his side once again, especially having been involved in an epic battle against Olympiacos at the weekend.

Aberdeen, meanwhile, will travel without James McGarry and Shayden Morris due to hamstring injuries, but otherwise Robson appears to have a fully fit squad at his disposal.

Jack McKenzie is available despite being sent off against Hibernian in their League Cup semi-final meeting at the weekend, while Graham Shinnie will hope to retain his manager's faith in him in order to start at the base of the visitors' midfield.

PAOK possible starting lineup:

Kotarski; Kedziora, Troost-Ekong, Koulierakis, Rafa; Tsiggaras, Schwab; Zivkovic, Konstantelias, Taison; Brandon

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:

Roos; Devlin, Gartenmann, Rubezic, Jensen, McKenzie; Polvara, Shinnie, Barron, McGrath; Miovski

We say: PAOK 2-1 Aberdeen

Both of Aberdeen's defeats in this competition have come by a solitary goal, and we can envisage that trend continuing in Greece on Thursday.

PAOK will be determined to finish top of Group B having made a perfect start from their opening three matches, and they should have a little too much quality for their opponents, especially with home advantage on their side.

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