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PAOK get their quest for a UEFA Champions League spot underway when they play host to FC Borac at the Toumba Stadium on Tuesday. Razvan Lucescu’s men head into the game off the back of a disappointing pre-season campaign and will be looking to pick up a morale-boosting result.
PAOK brought their friendly fixtures to an end two Saturdays ago when they fell to a 2-1 loss against Dutch outfit Vitesse at the RKSV Driel Stadion.
This capped off an unconvincing pre-season campaign for Lucescu’s side, who lost four of their five warm-up games, with a 2-1 victory over AEK Larnaca on July 3 being the exception.
However, PAOK will be backing themselves to find their feet on Tuesday as they return home, where they have won five of their last six competitive games since mid-March.
Meanwhile, FC Borac were made to work their socks off in the first round of the Champions League qualifiers as they needed penalties to see off Albanian outfit Egnatia.
Having claimed a 1-0 win on home turf, Mladen Žižović’s men suffered a 2-1 second-leg defeat in Albania to take the tie to penalties, where they picked up a 4-1 victory.
Borac enjoyed a superb 2023-24 campaign as they clinched the Bosnia and Herzegovina top-flight title to book their spot in the Champions League qualifiers.
PAOK vs FC Borac Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first-ever meeting between PAOK and FC Borac, who will both be looking to begin their rivalry on a high.
- PAOK are unbeaten in their last five competitive games, playing out a 1-1 draw with Lamia on April 24 before winning their subsequent four matches.
- Borac are unbeaten in all but one of their last five matches across all competitions, claiming three wins and one draw since the start of pre-season.
- PAOK have won their last three competitive matches, scoring nine goals and conceding three since April’s 2-0 loss against Club Brugge.
PAOK vs FC Borac Prediction
PAOK will be backing themselves to end their poor run of results as they take on a less superior and inexperienced Borac side. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two teams, we are tipping Lucescu’s men to come away with the desired result on Tuesday.
Prediction: PAOK 2-0 FC Borac
PAOK vs FC Borac Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - PAOK to win
Tip 2: First-half winners - PAOK (The hosts have led at halftime in six of their last eight games)
Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in PAOK’s last five matches)
