- FC PAOK Thessaloniki (W) finished the 2025 - 26 Greece A' Ethniki Women season undefeated champions with 72 points.
- Hapoel Jerusalem won the 2025 - 26 Ligat Nashim title with 71 points, but their last five official matches include two narrow defeats.
First-ever clash to determine the future
FC PAOK Thessaloniki (W) and Hapoel Jerusalem (W) meet for the first time in this single-leg mini-tournament which is a UEFA Women's Champions League qualifier for the 2026 - 2027 season. There is no previous meetings to go off, but PAOK are the clear favourites at 77/100 compared to Hapoel's 11/4 and the 27/10 draw.
Thanasis Patrikidis has done a great job at the helm of PAOK, guiding them to the domestic double last season with a high-intensity, possession-backed football style and strong wide overloads. Minela Gatsanitza is the sharpshooter in the team after scoring 23 league goals last season and Maria Gouni provides big-game know-how and a cup-final scoring touch, so PAOK can score goals and find some finesse when required.
Tzach Shimroni's Hapoel Jerusalem are a different proposition, they play with a compact, transition-heavy 4-3-3, pressing hard and breaking fast, which makes for a tasty tactical clash this week. Rachel Steinschneider and Doris Boaduwaa add to Hapoel's depth and ability to hurt opponents with multiple threats, meaning PAOK cannot solely focus on Cohen, who will be the obvious danger woman for the Greek back four.
PAOK can edge it
PAOK are the form side for this tie and have looked the best organised and composed at both ends of the field. Hapoel's last five results have been mixed with 4-1 and 4-0 wins coming either side of one-goal defeats to Qiryat Gat and Maccabi Hadera. The odds suggest that the hosts should have the edge in this contest, but there's a case to be made that over 2.5 goals at 11/20 will fit this game script better than a nervy standoff.
Both teams to score at 1/2 is another way of saying that this should be open and it should suit both teams, particularly Hapoel, if they can be the more enterprising side. PAOK can push and have the depth to control the pace and energy levels for 90 minutes, so should edge out a close win, with a 2-0 result more likely than any other correct score. The match will take place in Greece, so the heat of the day could drag the tempo down late, making PAOK's depth valuable, and there's a chance for a late Hapoel goal to make the tie more interesting.
