PAOK vs Eintracht Frankfurt prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-10-04 19:00.
A 2-2 draw in their 151st Greek Super League meeting with rivals Panathinaikos ended a three-game winning streak for PAOK, a run that began with a 3-2 victory at HJK Helsinki in their first group stage match of the 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). It was nonetheless a continuation of some strong attacking performances that has seen them record 2+ goals in more than 70% of competitive games this season.
Head coach RÄzvan Lucescu was fuming about the refereeing of their weekend match, which saw Panathinaikos score an equaliser after the scheduled end of stoppage time. A midweek European game to immediately shift focus to is probably quite welcome, particularly as it takes place at Toumba Stadium where they remain unbeaten in all competitions this season (W5, D2).
PAOK havenāt beaten a German club at home (D2, L3) since last meeting upcoming opponents Eintracht Frankfurt in the early 1980s, and this could be their chance after the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League (UEL) champions suffered their first loss of the season with an unsuccessful Bundesliga trip to Wolfsburg (2-0). New head coach Dino Toppmƶller also took issue with the officiating of that encounter, implying in response to Mario Gƶtzeās red card that he often receives unfair treatment from referees.
Stepping down from the UEFA Champions League to the third-tier UECL for the first time, Frankfurt demonstrated their class against Aberdeen (2-1) on matchday one which, when combined with their unbeaten run to the UEL title in 2021/22, means they havenāt lost any of their last 16 UEL or UECL matches when including extra time and penalties (W10, D6).
Players to watch: PAOKās Andrija ŽivkoviÄ recorded his ninth goal scoring contribution of the season at the weekend (G7, A2), five of which have been recorded in UEFA competitions. Frankfurtās last UEFA away goal from a player still on their books came from 21-year-old Ansgar Knauff (v West Ham in April 2022), who came on as a substitute against Aberdeen.
Hot stat: All but two of Frankfurtās last ten competitive matches produced fewer than 2.5 total goals.