PAOK vs Borac Prediction: Greeks won’t leak in Thessaloniki

After ending pre-season with four consecutive defeats, PAOK will be desperate to return to winning ways on Wednesday when they host Bosnian side Borac Banja Luka in the first leg of their Champions League second-round qualifier at Toumba Stadium (18:30).

Read below for my PAOK vs Borac prediction and all the latest team news heading into this contest in Thessaloniki.

Football Odds

Team News

PAOK played their final two pre-season friendlies on July 13, fielding two separate teams against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Vitesse, losing 2-1 to both. The starting XI against the former looked more like last season’s favoured side, with first-choice goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski and striker Kiril Despodov both lining up against the Belgians.

Mady Camara, Tomasz Kedziora and ex-Wolves defender Jonny Otto are all looking to make their competitive debuts after joining the four-time Greek Super League champions in the summer.

Borac started their competitive season with a two-legged Champions League first-round qualification tie against Albanian outfit Egnatia earlier this month, emerging as victors from a penalty shootout in Elbasani.

Damir Hrelja was the hero in the first leg at home as he struck the only goal of the game in second-half added time, which earned him a promotion from the bench to the starting XI for the return leg. However, he was the first player taken off in the second half in Albania, so it remains to be seen whether he will be given the nod from the start in Greece.

Jovo Lukic was Borac’s top scorer last season and will spearhead the forward line again after netting against Egnatia last time out.

PAOK vs Borac Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main PAOK vs Borac page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

PAOK are overwhelming favourites to triumph on Wednesday, with odds of 1/14 giving them an implied win probability of 93.3%, while Borac are 18/1, or a 5.3% chance, to spring a surprise in Thessaloniki.

The draw can be backed at 15/2, both teams to score at 13/8, and over 3.5 goals at 1/1.

PAOK trio Despodov, Mbwana Samatta and Brandon Thomas are joint favourites to open the scoring at 4/1, while Lukic is priced at 13/2 to score anytime.

Taison (PAOK) anytime scorer @ 13/8

The odds of Desepodov, Samatta and Thomas to find the net anytime (all 21/20) aren’t particularly appealing, especially as Samatta is unlikely to start, so I’m going further down the list and backing Taison to score on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old joined PAOK in January 2023 and scored just twice in 19 appearances in his first half-season. Still, the Brazilian struck eight times in 50 games last season to help his side to the Greek Super League title and the Europa Conference League quarter-finals, a competition he netted three goals in.

Taison also ended the 2023/24 campaign in superb fashion, scoring in each of PAOK’s last three matches to help oust AEK to the title.

An eight-time Brazil international, Taison is highly experienced and can be relied upon to score important goals, and looks one of the better value picks to strike anytime on Wednesday.

Correct score – PAOK 3-0 Borac @ 9/2

Finding value in this game has proven difficult given the disparity between the sides, making the hosts huge favourites.

So, picking a correct score may be the best way to go if you want to get the odds up for this Champions League qualifier.

I’m expecting PAOK to keep a clean sheet given they shut out all three teams they faced in the qualification rounds of the Europa Conference League last year. I’m not convinced Borac are a better side than any of Beitar Jerusalem, Hadjuk Split or Hearts, so the Greeks should be untroubled by their visitors on Wednesday.

The big question is just how many the hosts will score, and how big of a lead they will take to Bosnia next week.

I think PAOK will be desperate to at least score a couple, and three is the magic number as it would give them enough of a cushion that an early goal for Borac in Banja Luka wouldn’t send them into panic mode.

Offers

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