The first leg of the 2025/26 Europa League third qualifying round between PAOK (Greece) and Wolfsberg (Austria) will take place on August 7 at the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki. PAOK vs. Wolfsberg: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
PAOK
The team begins its European campaign this season from the third qualifying round of the Europa League. PAOK earned this right by finishing third in the last championship. Previously, in the Europa League, the Greeks have not advanced beyond the Round of 32, and in the 2024/25 season, they were eliminated in the first playoff round after the main stage. This season, the team has not played any official matches, having played four friendly matches (2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss). Notably, the club has lost its last three games in the Europa League.
- The team has not lost in regular time in 8 of their last 10 home matches in the Europa League (5 wins, 3 draws).
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in 90 minutes in 5 of the last 7 home matches of the club in this European competition.
- Exactly two goals were scored in regular time in 5 of the last 7 matches of the Greeks in the Europa League.
Predicted lineup for PAOK (4-5-1)
Jiri Pavlenka – Joan Sastre, Tomas Kedziora, Ioannis Michailidis, Greg Taylor – Andrija Zivkovic, Mady Camara, Ioannis Konstantelias, Soualiho Meite, Dimitris Pelkas – Fedor Chalov.
Wolfsberg
The club earned the right to start from the third qualifying round of the Europa League after winning the Austrian Cup last season. For Wolfsberg, this is their fourth participation in this European competition, with their best achievement being reaching the playoff matches in 2021. This season, the Austrians have played two official matches, winning in the national cup (3-1) and losing in the championship to Altach (0-2). It is worth noting that in the last six Europa League matches, the club suffered four defeats, scoring a total of only three goals.
- The team has not won in regular time in 10 of their last 13 matches in the Europa League (3 draws, 7 losses).
- The club has not scored more than once in 90 minutes in 6 of the last 9 away matches in this European competition.
- The Austrians conceded in regular time in 5 of the last 6 away matches in the Europa League.
Predicted lineup for Wolfsberg (3-5-2)
Nikolas Polster – Nikolas Wimmer, Dominik Baumgartner, Sheikh Diabate – Boris Matic, Marco Zuljner, Dejan Zukic, Alessandro Schopf, Rene Renner – Markus Pink, Thierno Ballo.
Referee
Morten Krogh (Denmark)
Matches – 10 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 45;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.5;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 30%.
PAOK vs. Wolfsberg: Match Prediction
The Greeks strive to utilize their home advantage in European matches and often achieve positive results. Moreover, PAOK prefers an attacking style of play and regularly hits the opponent's net: in the last 11 home matches in the Europa League, the team failed to score only twice, netting 23 goals during this period. However, in 10 of the last 14 home encounters in this tournament, the club failed to keep a clean sheet, and in five matches during this period, PAOK conceded at least two goals.
Wolfsberg does not stand out with stable away performances, but overall the team has high scoring potential on the European stage: in the last nine away matches in the Europa League, the club's players scored 12 goals. At the same time, the Austrians cannot boast of reliable defensive actions: in 5 of the last 6 away matches in this European competition, the team conceded. Considering this statistic, I expect a high-scoring match from these opponents. My prediction: Total over 2.5 goals
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match.
