PAOK (home)
- PAOK Thessaloniki are a disciplined, possession-based team with an attacking line that plays off the flanks.
- Razvan Lucescu’s side have a compact midfield line that can make them hard to break down at home, particularly when they are disciplined in their build-up play and the FC PAOK Thessaloniki vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv prediction is influenced by their patience in attacks.
Maccabi (away)
- Maccabi Tel-Aviv are a different type of team altogether.
- Žarko Lazetić has been a breath of fresh air since taking over in 2024 as he has thrown the shackles off his players to press with intent and play at a higher tempo.
- Maccabi came through two legs with Dynamo Kyiv in Europa League qualifiers, so the FC PAOK Thessaloniki vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv preview will focus on whether they can repeat such dominant away performances after back-to-back four-goal wins in the Israeli Premier League.
Head-to-Head
This is the first meeting between the two clubs since 2004 when Maccabi won both Champions League qualifying ties on aggregate 4-0 .
PAOK
- Giannis Konstantelias has been a good provider from the right, but the driving force behind their Europa League success against Rijeka was Fedor Chalov, whose form will be key in our FC PAOK Thessaloniki vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv prediction.
- Dimitris Pelkas is another option off the bench who can score goals and they have capable midfielders in Meïté and Ozdoev who can do a job in transition and anchor the defence.
Maccabi
- Dor Peretz has been in red-hot form, scoring a brace against Dynamo Kyiv and is always in the box at the far post.
- Elad Madmon has netted late winners and Roy Revivo is a threat on set-pieces, so we think the visitors can cause problems at both ends of the field.
Betting Insights
- PAOK are narrow favorites for the game at -136, which is understandable given this is a home game and they have made a better start to the league, and this FC PAOK Thessaloniki vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv prediction reflects those odds.
- Both Teams to Score (-129) is a very solid play in this clash as both sides will be looking to grab an early three points in this new league-phase format where each point is precious in terms of last-16 qualification. For those interested in more insights, these FC PAOK Thessaloniki vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv betting tips could offer added value.
Prediction
However, a draw looks more likely at +275 and an away win is certainly on the radar as Maccabi have been in fine form.
