Celta de Vigo (home)
- Celta de Vigo will face PAOK Thessaloniki in Vigo on Thursday with the prize of a place in the last 16 of the Europa League at stake and an interesting clash of tactics promising.
- Claudio Giráldez’s young team are a very possession-based side with a 3-4-3 system and players that know how to play their positions in structured build-up with wing-backs and academy products providing the creativity.
- They have enjoyed a good season so far, becoming the first team to win at PAOK’s Toumba Stadium in over a year and winning the first leg 2-1 in Greece to hold a 2-1 aggregate lead.
- Giráldez, who is making a name for himself as a young coach with an attacking philosophy, has made good use of his club’s academy recently and Fer López’s energy and imagination have been an added bonus to their European adventure.
- Borja Iglesias leads their domestic scoring and is a reliable hold-up forward while Williot Swedberg scored the decisive second goal in Thessaloniki and has been a driving force behind their attacking play all season long.
PAOK Thessaloniki (away)
- Răzvan Lucescu is an experienced and pragmatic coach that has made PAOK very difficult to break down this season, especially at home.
- His 4-2-3-1 system is predicated on a compact midfield, good width penetration and enough pressing energy to force his side to play a high-tempo game that suits their transition play.
- Magomed Ozdoev and Soualiho Meïté provide the control and defensive cover for their defence to remain in a compact shape, while Andrija Živković is a creative and dangerous wide player who supplies assists and dangerous set-pieces.
- PAOK’s leading European scorer, Giorgos Giakoumakis, is another threat from set pieces and always lurks around the penalty area.
- Alexander Jeremejeff, who scored in the first leg, is also an option off the bench and is a much more direct player than the team’s main two attackers.
Head-to-Head
Celta became the first team to win at PAOK’s Toumba Stadium in over a year when they won the first leg 2-1 .
Key Players
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Celta de Vigo:
- Borja Iglesias - leads their domestic scoring and is a reliable hold-up forward.
- Williot Swedberg - scored the decisive second goal in Thessaloniki and has driven their attacking play.
- Iago Aspas - Europa League top scorer for Celta and scored in the reverse fixture.
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PAOK Thessaloniki:
- Magomed Ozdoev - provides control and defensive cover.
- Soualiho Meïté - provides control and defensive cover.
- Andrija Živković - creative wide player supplying assists and dangerous set-pieces.
- Giorgos Giakoumakis - leading European scorer and set-piece threat.
- Alexander Jeremejeff - scored in the first leg and offers a direct option off the bench.
Betting Insights
- There’s little to choose between these two sides in the betting with Celta slightly the favorites at 1.89, PAOK at 3.95 and the draw at 3.45.
- The 1.85 odds for Both Teams To Score look very generous for two teams that should be at close to full strength, with no injuries or suspensions to note.
Prediction
- Take Celta to progress thanks to the 2-1 aggregate and home advantage.
- Iago Aspas can score the decisive goal after netting in the reverse fixture.
