Read our prediction for PAOK vs Basel below. This preview was written by a sport journalist who is specialised in betting tips and predictions. Use our betting tips for the match between PAOK vs Basel and you can increase your winnings!
PAOK vs Basel Prediction & Betting tips
Since June 26, 2018, the new Champions League season is running. The final will take place on 1 June 2019 at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid. Thessaloniki’s Stadio Toumbas face a duel of the second qualifying round on Tuesday evening: Greek vice-champion PAOK Salonika meets Swiss vice-champion FC Basel. For the first time since 2009, Swiss champions Basel are not going into a season as defending champions. At the weekend, the new Super League season in Switzerland has already begun. The team of coach Raphael Wicky had to accept it on Matchday 1 an unfortunate 1: 2 home defeat against St. Gallen. FCB coach Wicky is already under pressure after numerous test defeats. The first hurdle on the way to the Champions League group stage is now PAOK. Thessaloniki was able to win the Greek Cup next to the runner-up title last season. The new season of the Super League in Greece begins on 25 August. For the first leg between PAOK Salonika and FC Basel Sofia we found a tip with lucrative odds.
PAOK:
Thessaloniki finished second in the Greek Super League last season, six points behind champions AEK Athens. In 30 games of the season there had been only five defeats. The only two home defeats had to be accepted by decisions of the sports court. Away, PAOK conceded only nine goals in 15 games. In the final against AEK Athens the team from Thessaloniki won the Greek cup for the sixth time. So far, the Black and Whites have won the championship title twice. So far, the Greek team has never made it into the group stage of the Champions League. For PAOK reached in the Europa League in the last nine seasons five times the group stage or even the second round (round of the last 32). Since August 2017 Saloniki is coached by Razvan Lucescu, the son of Romanian coaching legend Mircea Lucescu. The club reached the headlines in March 2018. The match between PAOK and leaders AEK Athens was canceled shortly before the end, when the referee had not given the alleged winner for Thessaloniki due to an offside position. It then came to tumultuous scenes, including PAOK owner Ivan Savvidis stormed the place. You could see that he wore a firearm in a holster on his belt.
After the so-called “gun scandal”, the league was suspended in Greece for three weeks. As punishment, PAOK were deducted three points last season. And also in the season 2018/19, the cup winner has to start with a minus of two points. In preparation for the new season, Razvan Lucescu’s team completed two training camps. During this time, there were seven friendly matches with the following results: 2: 1 against De Graafschap, 1: 3 against Royal Antwerp FC, 1: 1 against KAA Gent, 2: 1 against Steaua Bucharest, 1: 2 against FC Nordsjælland, 2: 2 against RSC Anderlecht, 5: 0 against KAA Gent U23. Kyriakos Giaxis, Leo Jaba and Evgen Khacheridi have been presented as newcomers. Already since the season 2017/2018 plays the former Wolfsburg Vieirinha in Thessaloniki. On offense coach Lucescu relies on Aleksandar Prijovic, who scored 27 goals in 39 competitive games last season. After the early World Cup victory of the Serbs Prijovic has returned to his team in time.
FC Basel:
With 20 Super League championships and 12 cup wins, FC Basel are the clear number one in Switzerland. But this season, the team has an unfamiliar role: For the first time since 2009 FCB is not as Swiss champion in the new season. In the season 2017/18 they had to let the Young Boys Bern the precedence. The goal for the season 2018/19 is clear: Anything but winning the title would be a disappointment. The team of coach Raphael Wicky prepared for the new season in Rotach-Egern. In the pre-season FCB completed the following friendly matches: 0: 5 against Feyenoord, 1: 4 against FC Aarau, 1: 2 against Wolverhampton, 3: 1 against FC Illertissen, 2: 0 against FC Wacker Innsbruck, 1: 1 against 1860 Munich and 6: 1 against FC Rapperswil-Jona. Martin Hansen, Silvan Widmer, Julian von Moos, Aldo Kalulu and Jonas Omlin have been presented as newcomers. FC Basel players like Dereck Kutesa, Thomas Vaclik, Alexander Fransson, Mohamey Elyounoussi, Michael Lang, Cedric Itten and Mirko Salvi have all left. As so often the club has to replace many regulars this season and many new players in the team.
For the start of the new Super League season, it was at home weekend against St. Gallen. In the first game of the season, the FC had to do without Signori Antonio, Eder Balanta, Samuel Campo, Zdravko Kuzmanovic and Taulant Xhaka equal to five players. Despite many new entries, the Swiss record champions made a good game. Much seemed to fit in the team already. But with an unstable defensive and an insufficient chance utilization, it came as it had to come: In the fourth minute of stoppage time Basel conceded by a deflected shot the goal to 1: 2-final. For the first time since 1996, the FCB started thus with a home defeat in a season. Already in the last season you had eight points less at home than Master Bern. Before that, the Baselers had been a home for years in their own “Joggeli”. Thus sports director Marco Streller and his coach Raphael Wicky are under pressure. Six times FC Basel have already made it to the Champions League group stage. In the last season, they were eliminated only in the second round against Manchester City.