PAOK vs Wolfsberg: Europa League Prediction (07.08.2025)

On Thursday, August 7 at 19:30 CET, at the “Toumba” Stadium in Thessaloniki, local football club PAOK will host Austrian side Wolfsberg in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the 2025–2026 UEFA Europa League. The Greek team reached this stage of the qualifiers as the bronze medalist of the national championship. The Austrians qualified as the winners of their domestic cup.

In the PAOK – Wolfsberg clash, bookmakers give the visitors very little chance of success in the first match. A home win for the “Double-headed Eagles of the North” is priced at 1.45, while their progression to the next round is at 1.33. For the “Wolves”, the odds in the same markets are 7.20 and 3.33 respectively. Analysts expect decent scoring in the upcoming encounter: total over 2.5 is offered at 1.70, and both teams to score is at 1.84.

PAOK

Razvan Lucescu’s team features an incredible mix of foreign players. It is evident that club president Ivan Savvidis is actively involved in transfer policy. Ahead of the new season, no particularly notable signings were made. However, a vote of confidence for another year was given to 37-year-old Brazilian Tyson. Towards the end of last season and in summer friendlies, Russians Magomed Ozdoyev and Fyodor Chalov failed to impress.

Among local talents, attacking midfielder Giannis Konstantelias clearly stands out and is constantly tipped to move to a European superclub. We will see what the talented Romanian coach can make out of such a diverse squad. Last season, the “Double-headed Eagles” could not compete with Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, but became the most productive team in the Greek Super League.

Wolfsberg

Under the guidance of Dietmar Kühbauer, the squad is much more modest in terms of player selection. In the Austrian Bundesliga, the “Wolves” failed to finish in the top three, but did not leave empty-handed after winning the cup final. Last weekend, the team already failed to start the new national championship season, losing 0–2 to Altach. The home defeat to an underdog revealed numerous issues, the key one being the inability to sharpen play in the attacking line.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

Previously, the teams have not met in European competitions.

Prediction

It is difficult to say how such unpredictable teams will perform at the start of the season. We assume that both sides will be cautious and bet on a combined option: PAOK will not lose and total under 3.5 at 1.67.