PAOK still have to fear for progression
In many matches of the second qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League, a preliminary decision was already made in the first leg a week ago. However, everything is still wide open ahead of Wednesday evening’s second leg between the national champions of Bosnia and Greece. In the first match at the Toumba Stadium, the hosts from the Greek port city narrowly won 3:2 and therefore have the slightly better starting position. This is one of the reasons why the odds on Banja Luka and PAOK Thessaloniki to progress are significantly lower
In addition, the Romanian coach Razvan Lucescu’s team also has a clear advantage in terms of quality. While the PAOK squad is worth over €85 million in total, for example, the underdogs from northern Bosnia do not have a single player with a seven-figure market value. However, it became clear last week that such a discrepancy in figures does not automatically mean a difference in class on the pitch. In order to make a suitable prediction between Banja Luka and PAOK Saloniki, a more detailed analysis is required
Of course, the Banja Luka vs PAOK Saloniki odds on the three-way market are also included in the overall analysis. The favorite’s away win comes with top odds of 1.66. If you want to bet on the hosts to reach the third round instead, you can get 6.40 top odds at Sunmaker.
Banja Luka – Statistics & current form
This is only the third time in the club’s history that Borac Banja Luka have qualified for the UEFA Champions League. However, the red, blue and whites have never made it to the third round. In general, the success of the reigning Bosnian champions at international level has been limited in recent years.
Last season, Fudbalski Klub Borac Banja Luka lost to Austria Vienna in the Conference League qualifiers, while a year earlier even Torshavn from the Faroe Islands proved to be too big a team. Against this backdrop, it would be a medium-sized sensation if the underdogs from Bosnia’s second-largest city could put PAOK, a much more prominent opponent, in their place.
Borac Banja Luka want to create a sensation
Despite the very solid performance in the first leg in Greece, the bookmakers do not have much faith in coach Mladen Zizovic’s team at home. Ahead of the second clash between Banja Luka and PAOK Saloniki, the betting odds imply a clear favorite role for the visitors
On the one hand, this assessment is based on the fact that the home team is likely to be significantly inferior to the Greeks in terms of international experience and individual quality. On the other hand, Borac are currently finding it much more difficult to take the initiative. Incidentally, this was already evident in the first qualifying round. The Bosnians struggled to a narrow 1:0 win at home against the blatant underdogs Egnatia Rrogozhine, who also played with a double deficit. Away from home, Borac lost 2-1 and only progressed through a penalty shoot-out.
PAOK are of course a completely different proposition now and will have a mortgage from the first leg to deal with. One small advantage could be that Zizovic’s side already have three competitive games under their belts and start their league campaign next weekend; the Greek champions do not face their first domestic challenge for another 17 days.
Estimated line-up for Banja Luka:
Siskovski; Herrera, Carolina, Meijers, Kvrzic; Skorup, Grahovac; Vukovic, Savis, Kulasin; Lukic
PAOK Saloniki – Statistics & current form
For the fourth time in the club’s history, PAOK Thessaloniki won the championship title in Greece last season. Thanks to a 2:1 win at rivals Aris Thessaloniki on the final matchday, the Black & Whites maintained their lead at the top of the table and crowned an outstanding season. PAOK also caused quite a stir at international level, beating Eintracht Frankfurt twice in the Conference League group stage and ultimately even reaching the quarter-finals. That was the end of the line against Club Brugge from Belgium
PAOK has all the trump cards in its own hands
Nevertheless, these strong results from the pre-season inevitably show why the bookmakers are making a clear prediction between Banja Luka and PAOK Saloniki in favor of the Greeks. Given the quality of the squad and the experience gained at a high European Cup level, the role of favorites is definitely justified. However, it must be said that the “two-headed eagle of the north” is certainly still far from its best form at this early stage
Nevertheless, we can well imagine playing the odds on a handicap triumph for the visitors in the run-up to the second leg between Banja Luka and PAOK Saloniki. The Asian handicap (-1.25) is a good option here. If the Black & Whites only win with a goal difference, half of the stake will be returned as cashback. A 2.25 is offered in the Bet365 app for a win with a difference of two or more goals.
An additional argument is logically the starting position, which plays into the hands of coach Lucescu’s charges. Borac will have to take risks sooner or later after their defeat a week ago. PAOK, meanwhile, are a strong transition team who will definitely know how to exploit the spaces that present themselves. However, it remains to be seen whether the Greek champions will come out of this encounter without conceding a goal, as they have never managed to keep a clean sheet in any of their five test matches or in their first competitive game. Odds in the region of 1.70 are on offer for both teams to score on Wednesday evening.
PAOK Saloniki line-up prediction:
Kotarski; Sastre, Troost-Ekong, Koulierakis, Baba; Ozdoev, Schwab; Despodov, Murg, Taison; Thomas
Banja Luka – PAOK Saloniki head-to-head comparison / H2H result
The first leg a week ago was characterized by a very spectacular first half. Konstantinos Koulierakis, one of the top talents in Greece, put PAOK ahead twice. However, Banja Luka managed to equalize both times within five minutes. After four goals in the first 45 minutes, only one more was scored after the break. Troost-Ekong secured the 3:2 victory for the Greeks, which was ultimately a decent result. It was the first and only duel between these teams to date. The second and decisive chapter will be written on Wednesday evening at the Gradski Stadium in Banja Luka.
Banja Luka – PAOK Saloniki betting tip
Somewhat surprisingly, PAOK Saloniki had major problems in the first leg against Banja Luka a week ago. The Greek champions, who reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League last year and defeated big-name clubs on the way, ultimately struggled to a 3-2 home win after a wild first half. However, this still offers the underdogs from northern Bosnia every opportunity to cause a sensation in the second leg at home and reach the third round of CL qualification for the first time in their club’s history.
Admittedly, however, there is much more to suggest that the Black & Whites will also live up to their role as favorites in Banja Luka. Lucescu’s team has more individual quality and international experience. The starting position also plays into the hands of the club from Thessaloniki. Although we believe that the home team will definitely score against PAOK’s defence, which has not always looked solid of late, the Greeks will also get a few chances to immortalize themselves on the scoreboard.
After the aforementioned 3:2 first-leg win, the Bosnians will be forced to take more risks at some point during the match. We therefore believe in a relatively high-scoring second half and tend to bet on the over 1.5 (2nd half) between Banja Luka and PAOK Saloniki.
