Head-to-Head
- PAOK have won two of the last three meetings between these clubs, including a 2-0 Cup quarter-final victory at Karaiskáki Stadium in January 2026.
- Olympiacos are unbeaten in three of their last four Super League matches, while PAOK are in mixed form after two defeats to Celta Vigo in European knockout play.
Olympiakos Piraeus FC
- Olympiakos Piraeus FC are the narrow favorites for Sunday’s big derby matchup with FC PAOK Thessaloniki, but Răzvan Lucescu’s side will give a good account of themselves as they bid to close the gap to their hosts at the top of the Super League.
- The Pirates lead the table with 53 points from 23 games, three ahead of second-placed PAOK, who have a game in hand and sit on 50 points.
- José Luis Mendilibar’s team are a little more direct than PAOK in their approach, pressing hard to win the ball high up the pitch and using the pace of players like Ayoub El Kaabi and the wide runners to get into the opposition penalty area quickly.
- El Kaabi remains Olympiacos’ top scorer and netted a brace in their last league outing.
FC PAOK Thessaloniki
- PAOK will try to keep the pace of the game low by clogging up the middle and controlling the ball in their own half.
- The visitors have been in mixed form since suffering back-to-back defeats to Celta Vigo in European knockout play, with a home win over Asteras Tripolis and two Super League draws.
Key Players
- They have the discipline and structure to do this and the counter-attacking talent of Giorgos Giakoumakis, who is the club’s top scorer in all competitions, to exploit space behind the home side’s defence.
- The visitors also have the luxury of Konstantelias and Ozdoyev, who regularly contribute goals and creativity.
- Giakoumakis is a doubt for this one after a knock, but Daniel Podence returns for Olympiacos, although he might be best utilised from the bench.
Betting Insights
- The odds of 2.12 for the home team seem a bit short, but PAOK aren’t far behind at 3.45 while the draw is 3.26.
- However, the value lies in both teams to score market at 1.8 with the oddsmakers expecting plenty of attacking intent from both sides.
Prediction
- With Olympiacos home advantage and the sharper of the two sides in recent games, we are taking the hosts to nick this high-stakes game.
- But there is enough quality on each side to break through and cause a problem.
- The clash of Olympiacos’ high-intensity, direct style against Lucescu’s system-first, counter-attacking approach should produce a chess match that could be decided by one moment of quality or a defensive error.
