PAOK v Chelsea facts
Two domestic crater holders flog off their UEFA Europa League Group L debate in an intriguing match-up in Salonika as PAOK, who have never mislaid to English opposition, horde Chelsea, who are undefeated opposite teams from Greece.
Previous meetings
• Although a teams have never met, they both have enlightened annals opposite antithesis from a other’s country, any winning dual and sketch dual of their 4 matches.
• At home PAOK have won one and drawn one opposite English clubs – both from London – and are nonetheless to concede, since Chelsea have hold their hosts to draws on both their prior dual trips to Greece.
Form guide
PAOK
• PAOK enjoyed a successful 2017/18 on a domestic front, atoning for a singular early exit in Europe – they mislaid to Swedish debutants Östersund in a UEFA Europa League play-offs – by maintaining a Greek Cup and finishing runners-up to AEK Athens in a Superleague.
• They harboured high hopes of reaching a UEFA Champions League organisation theatre for a initial time this deteriorate when they knocked out Basel and Spartak Moskva in subordinate ties and afterwards hold Benfica 1-1 in Lisbon a initial leg of their play-off – usually to humour a second-leg 1-4 better in Salonika.
• That means they have extended their record of carrying have participated in each deteriorate of a UEFA Europa League to a tenth unbroken year. They have reached a organisation theatre in 6 prior campaigns, 4 of that have extended into a knockout proviso though never over a turn of 32. Schalke were a many new organisation to finish their seductiveness during that connection with a 4-1 total win in 2016/17.
• The Salonika side are dominant during home on matchday one (W2 D2), one of those draws carrying come opposite Tottenham in 2011/12 (0-0). However, they have won usually once during home in their final 9 fixtures in a UEFA Europa League correct (D4 L4).
Chelsea
• Chelsea could finish usually fifth in counterclaim of their Premier League pretension final season, though they requisitioned a initial ever place in a UEFA Europa League organisation theatre twice over by also winning a FA Cup for a eighth time, defeating Manchester United 1-0 in a final.
• Although a west London side are new to this theatre of a UEFA Europa League, they won a foe on their usually prior participation, in 2013, carrying crossed over to a knockout proviso in mid-season from a UEFA Champions League. Their track to a final, where they degraded Benfica 2-1, incorporated dual wins and dual defeats on their travels.
• Chelsea are though a win in 4 European matches following their UEFA Champions League turn of 16 exit to Barcelona final season. They have mislaid dual of their final 3 continental divided fixtures 3-0.
Links and trivia
• PAOK contingent Chuba Akpom, José Ãngel Crespo and José Alberto Cañas have all played in a English Premier League.
• Akpom played alongside Olivier Giroud during Arsenal in 2014/15 while PAOK’s Omar El Kaddouri was a team-mate of Jorginho during Napoli from a summer of 2015 to Dec 2016.
The coaches
• The son of Mircea Lucescu, Bucharest-born Răzvan spent many of his career as a goalkeeper with clubs from a Romanian capital. As a coach, he enjoyed early success with Rapid Bucureşti, winning back-to-back domestic cups and also steering a bar into a UEFA Cup quarter-finals. He afterwards had dual years in assign of a Romanian inhabitant team, though it was in Greece that he serve extended his reputation, firstly with Xanthi, afterwards as a Greek Cup leader and joining runner-up in his entrance deteriorate during PAOK.
• Named as a new Chelsea trainer in period to his associate Italian, Antonio Conte, in Jul 2018, Maurizio Sarri is widely deliberate to be one of Europe’s many on-going coaches. He paid his impost in Italy’s reduce leagues with a crowd of clubs before removing his large mangle during Empoli, whom he directed into Serie A, before replacing Rafael BenÃtez during Napoli in 2015. Three seasons in Naples all brought top-three finishes, his interesting side using Juventus tighten for a Scudetto in 2017/18.