In the preliminary rounds of the Champions League, the Greek PAOK and the Turkish Besiktas cross swords in the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki. A more spicy poster is hardly conceivable, because the supporters of both clubs cannot air or see each other.
PAOK Thessaloniki FC:
PAOK ended last season in the Greek Superleague at a great distance from national champion Olympiakos, but qualified for the preliminary rounds of the Champions League thanks to her second place. The black and white have been regularly present in the Europa League in the past, but have never been able to qualify for the main tournament of the European champions ball. If it is up to the men of trainer Abel Ferreira, however, that will soon change.
Due to the corona measures, this match will of course be played behind closed doors, but you can bet that the supporters have put their players on edge. Greeks and Turks do not go through a door very well. Immediately after the draw, PAOK’s social media channels were bombarded by Besiktas fans with photos of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of present-day Turkey and one of the instigators of the Greek genocide during and after the First World War. However, the son of chairman Ivan Savvidis did not give up and replied with a famous quote from Winston Churchill: ‘Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks.’ Incidentally, his father certainly does not have an impeccable reputation. Two years ago, he came onto the field with a gun in the league game against AEK after a rejected goal for his team, which put him on a three-year stadium ban.
Besiktas:
Turkish football giant Besiktas is one of the most successful clubs in the country, although the top club from Istanbul had to settle for third in the Süper Lig last season. This means that De Zwarte Adelaars have been sentenced to play qualifying matches, with the aim of qualifying for the main tournament of the Champions League after an absence of two years.
With players such as Adem Ljajic, Enzo Roco, Domagoj Vida and the old Eredivisie acquaintances Atiba Hutchinson and Jeremain Lens, Besiktas has more quality on paper than PAOK, but the Turks are still the underdog for reaching the next round. Because of the corona problems, there is no return. In addition, the visitors complained about the appointment of referee Daniele Doveri. The Italian was in charge of the derby between PAOK and Aris Thessaloniki two years ago, a game that PAOK won 2-1. Despite awarding a penalty to both teams, he came under heavy fire afterwards for questionable decisions in favor of PAOK. However, UEFA did not listen to the Turkish complaint, so Doveri will just whistle this loaded duel.
PREDICTION: Both teams to score / NO @ 1,70
