Helsinki-PAOK: In Finland for the winning start in the 7th group of the Conference, the Thessaloniki

In Finland and the Helsinki aiming for a winning start in the 7th group of the Conference League, PAOK!

The “Big North” will be looking for the three points against the theoretically weakest team in the group, in which they are also Aberdeen and Eintracht Frankfurt. Lucescu’s team is coming off a mediocre performance and a 0-0 home derby draw with Aris, while it was preceded by an away defeat by OFI, before the break of the national teams.

As reported by Dimitris Tsorbatzoglou on News Bulletin 247, Lucescu intends to make changes to his starting line-up compared to the match against Aris, with Tsingara and Schwab starting as a duo in the axis, while a possible candidate Despodov has also put in as a starter. Out of the mission remained the Felipe Soares and Mark Antonyas they have not overcome the injuries they are suffering from.

“First of all I want to say that this event has nothing to do with what happens in domestic events. In any case we shouldn’t leave Aberdeen out either, it’s important that we play 11 against 11, that’s what matters in the end. It is true that a win tomorrow will open a way for us to believe more in the qualification. As I have said before we will have to be at our maximum because we are facing different teams, tomorrow’s match has nothing to do with any opponent we faced in the qualifiers or in the domestic league”the PAOK coach said, among other things, at the press conference ahead of tonight’s match.

The mission of PAOK: Kotarski, Zivkovic, Talikhmanidis, Vieirinia, Lyratzi, Kenziora, Ekong, Michaelidis, Koulierakis, Baba, Rafa Soares, Tsigara, Schwab, Ozdoev, Meite, Murg, Constantelia, Tyson, Vraka, A.Zivkovic, Despodov, Brandon, Jima, Sama the .

On the other hand, Helsinki coming off a 2-0 home win against Inter Turku, a result that saw them stay at the top of the Finnish league, +4 behind second-placed Kuopio. They have lost just one of their last six games, while failing to score in just one of their last 15. During this summer’s qualifiers, he started in the Champions League by knocking out Northern Ireland’s Larne and missing out on Norway’s Molde, before being knocked out by Qarabag in the Europa League but beating Romania’s Farul Costa, in the Conference Playoffs.

“We have prepared properly for this match despite having a few days at our disposal as the league game had preceded it. We know that we have a difficult match ahead of us, a good and strong opponent, but we have also made our plan and planning. As many chances as we have, we must claim them and much more than when we play at home”said her coach, Toni Korkeakunas, ahead of tonight’s match.

Possible lineups:



Helsinki (Korkeakunas): Maenpaa – Toivio, Halme, Bande – Benican, Kanellopoulos, Lingman, Hamalainen – Tanaka, Hetemai, Radulovic

PAOK (Lucescu): Kotarski – Keziora, Ekong, Koulierakis, Baba Rahman – Schwab, Tsigaras – Zivkovic, Despodov, Tyson – Brandon

Referee: Marian Alexandrou Barbu (Romania)

Assistants: Mihai Marika, Imre Laszlo Busi

Fourth: Sebastian Coltescu

VAR: Kathleen Pope

AVAR: Andrey Tsibulete