PAOK will be hoping that home advantage can help them secure a spot in the playoff round of the 2024-25 Champions League at Malmo's expense on Tuesday night.
The third qualifying round clash is delicately poised following a 2-2 draw in the first leg last week, and the two sides will lock horns once again to determine which team progresses to the next round.
Match preview
© Reuters
PAOK twice trailed to Malmo in the first leg at Eleda Stadion, but Taison levelled it at 1-1 in the 42nd minute, before Abdul Baba Rahman came up with a second for the visitors in the 75th minute of the contest.
Razvan Lucescu's side are the reigning Greek champions, lifting the title for just the fourth time last season, and they are bidding to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League for the first time.
PAOK beat Borac Banja Luka 4-2 on aggregate in the second qualifying round of this season's competition, and they would have been pleased with their draw in the first leg against Malmo last week.
The Greek outfit actually made it to the quarter-finals of last season's Conference League, with their journey in the competition being ended by Club Brugge.
PAOK will begin their league campaign against Panserraikos next weekend, but their full focus will currently be on ensuring that they are present in the playoff stage of this season's Champions League.
![Lasse Berg Johnsen of Malmo FF celebrates during the UEFA Champions League football match between Malmo FF and Klaksvik on July 23, 2024 [on July 28, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/30/lasse-berg-johnsen.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Lasse Berg Johnsen of Malmo FF celebrates during the UEFA Champions League football match between Malmo FF and Klaksvik on July 23, 2024 [on July 28, 2024]")
© Imago
Malmo twice led on home soil in the first leg, but they were pegged back on both occasions, and the Swedish outfit are now at a slight disadvantage heading into the second leg of the European affair.
The Blue Ones are 23-time Swedish champions, while they were famously runners-up in the 1978-79 Champions League, losing the final to Nottingham Forest, who won the title for the first time in their history.
Henrik Rydstrom's side beat KI Klaksvik 6-4 in the second qualifying round of this season's Champions League, and they are now bidding to make it to the group stage for the first time since 2021-22, when they competed alongside Juventus, Zenit St Petersburg and Chelsea.
Last season, Malmo fell in the second qualifying round, but they did compete in the group stage of the 2022-23 Europa League, and they have a strong history of European football.
The Sky Blues are actually 18 matches into their domestic season, sitting at the top of the Allsvenskan table, and they will enter this game off the back of a 1-0 success over Halmstad on Saturday.
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- L
- D
- W
Team News
![Malmos Sebastian Nanasi scores 2 1 during Fridays football match in the Allsvenskan between Sirius and Malmo FF at Studenternas arena in Uppsala [on July 20, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/29/sebastian-nanasi.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Malmos Sebastian Nanasi scores 2 1 during Fridays football match in the Allsvenskan between Sirius and Malmo FF at Studenternas arena in Uppsala [on July 20, 2024]")
© Imago
Konstantinos Koulierakis has made a strong start to the season in the middle of the defence, and the 20-year-old has also come up with two goals, making him PAOK's leading scorer in 2024-25.
Taison (one) is joint-second on the list with four other players, and he is expected to operate in a wide area on Tuesday evening, while Brandon Thomas should be given the nod in the final third of the field.
There is every chance that head coach Lucescu will name the same side that took to the field for the first whistle of the reverse match, with Baba Rahman continuing at left-back.
As for Malmo, Sebastian Nanasi, Niklas Moisander, Anton Tinnerholm and Stefano Vecchia will miss out on Tuesday evening due to fitness issues.
Isaac Kiese Thelin has been in excellent form this season, scoring 16 times in all competitions, and the 32-year-old will continue in the final third of the field for the Swedish side.
Erik Botheim has also been impressive this term, finding the back of the net on 12 occasions in 23 appearances, and the pair will look to carry the goalscoring threat for Malmo in this clash.
PAOK possible starting lineup:
Kotarski; Sastre, Kedziora, Koulierakis, Baba; Ozdoev, Schwab; Zivkovic, Konstantelias, Taison; Thomas
Malmo possible starting lineup:
Dahlin; Larsen, Jansson, Zatterstrom, Busanello; Bolin, Pena, Johnsen, Nanasi; Botheim, Thelin
We say: PAOK 1-2 Malmo (Malmo win 4-3 on aggregate)
This is a really tough match to call, and it would not be a surprise to see it go all the way to penalties. Malmo have so much talent in the final third of the field, though, and we are backing the Swedish outfit to secure a narrow win and book their spot in the playoff stage of the Champions League.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
