- Anderlecht have 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 matches across all competitions, including their 1-0 away win over PAOK in UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 last week.
- FC PAOK Thessaloniki have 3 wins, 0 draws and 2 defeats in their last 5 across all competitions, a mixed run of results but one that points to a dangerous team.
Second leg a chess game, played on Anderlecht’s turf
It is Anderlecht who arrive on the back of a 2 game winning streak ahead of Thursday's UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 return leg, thanks to a 3-1 win at home to Hammarby IF and a 1-0 victory away to PAOK.
Their home form is solid but not spectacular, with 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 here across all competitions, but their 1-0 win in Greece suggests they have the mettle to see this through.
PAOK are a mixed bag of results in their own last 5, with a 2-3 win at Dynamo Kiev, a 2-0 home victory over the same team and a 0-1 loss at Anderlecht marking the highs and lows of their schedule.
Konstantelias and Sikan the danger men
Giannis Konstantelias is PAOK's main threat in UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026, netting 3 times in 2 matches to be their top scorer in the competition, but Danylo Sikan is Anderlecht's danger man with 2 in 2.
Sikan has 3 in Anderlecht's last 5-game run, where PAOK's Konstantelias has 3 in his last 5, so we could see both men get chances to add to their scoring ledgers at Lotto Park, Belgium.
The market makes most sense
The odds favour FC PAOK at 33/20, with Anderlecht at 48/25 and the draw at 41/20, which is all a bit odd as Anderlecht hold the advantage after the first leg and look the more solid prospect right now.
Vítor Bruno has made Anderlecht a possession-based team in a compact shape, with midfield players pressing when the ball is in certain positions and not too much when it's wide, while Alessio Lisci has PAOK transitioning quickly and pushing down the flanks.
So the match is likely to be a chess match between Anderlecht's patient possession game and PAOK's quick breaks, where the flanks will decide the outcome.
Over 2.5 goals at 22/25 and both teams to score at 3/5 make the most sense as a result, with PAOK averaging 1.50 scored and 1.50 conceded per match away from home in all tournaments, while Anderlecht have conceded just 6 goals in 5 at home.
