Sports Mole previews Thursday’s Europa League clash between Lille and PAOK, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Still seeking their first group triumph in the Europa League this season, PAOK will pay their first-ever visit to Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Thursday when they take on Lille.
The French side are one of six teams with a 100% record after two matchdays, blanking Roma 1-0 earlier this month, while PAOK have just one point, losing their previous match 3-1 at Celta Vigo.
Match preview
Domestically it has been a struggle for Lille in recent weeks, but in the Europa League, they have done just enough to get by after two matchdays.
Bruno Genesio’s men enter this contest on a three-match unbeaten run across all competitions, including a 2-0 win at Nantes this past weekend, ending a three-game winless run in Ligue 1 in the process.
Lille have points in 14 consecutive group stage encounters at home in European competitions, winning their opening Europa League affair this season at Stade Pierre-Mauroy 2-1 against Brann.
This decade the Northern French club have not lost a single group outing in Europe when netting first, doing so in their opening two Europa League outings this time out.
They have not given up a goal in the opening half of their last three home group games in this competition and on Thursday can collect their first Europa League clean sheet at Stade Pierre-Mauroy since a 0-0 draw with Everton in October 2014.
Les Dogues are 2-0 all-time on home soil versus Greek opposition, previously defeating Olympiacos and AEK Athens in the Champions League by a 3-1 score.
Two matches into the League Phase of this tournament and PAOK find themselves on the outside of the top 24 which comes with a spot in the playoffs.
Razvan Lucescu’s side have suffered just one competitive defeat all season when scoring first, allowing three unanswered goals to Celta Vigo on matchday two in this tournament.
On the other hand, they have earned a result in their last two matches played when conceding the opener, including a 2-1 win domestically over Olympiacos earlier this month.
Currently they are on a two-match winning run in Greece, putting them on top of the Super League table by a single point after seven matchdays.
On Thursday they can win their first Europa League away clash since October 2018, beating BATE Borisov of Belarus 4-1 on that occasion.
A victory would also mark their first on French soil in a European competition, while they have not claimed a point in France since a 3-3 draw at Lyon in a round of 16 Cup Winners’ Cup fixture in 1973.
Lille Europa League form:
Lille form (all competitions):
PAOK Europa League form:
PAOK form (all competitions):
Team News
A muscle strain is expected to keep Alexsandro out of the Lille fold for this one, while Nabil Bentaleb and Ngal’ayel Mukau are doubtful with knocks.
Also unavailable will be Ousmane Toure and Marc-Aurele Caillard with the former recovering from a cruciate ligament tear and the latter an elbow injury.
Hakon Arnar Haraldsson scored six minutes into their match with Roma, and Berke Ozer stopped the four targeted efforts that he faced for his first clean sheet of the competition.
On the PAOK side of things Dimitris Chatsidis is questionable due to an unknown injury, while Jiri Pavlenka is doubtful after suffering an adductor issue earlier this month.
From matchday one to two there were five new faces in their starting 11 with Joan Sastre, Alessandro Vogliacco, Alessandro Bianco, Kiril Despodov and Mady Camara all beginning the game against the Spaniards.
Giorgos Giakoumakis, currently on loan from Mexican club Cruz Azul had the opening goal on matchday two, only for his side to concede 10 minutes later and eventually lose.
Lille possible starting lineup:
Ozer; Meunier, Mandi, Mbemba, Verdonk; Correia, Bentaleb, Andre, Sahraoui; Haraldsson, Giroud
PAOK possible starting lineup:
Monastirlis; Sastre, Lovren, Michailidis, Rahman; Meite, Ozdoyev; Zivkovic, Camara, Konstantelias; Giakoumakis
We say: Lille 1-0 PAOK
We expect the Greeks to hang back and make it difficult for Lille to create chances, but we trust Genesio will make the necessary adjustments and find a way to win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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