PAOK vs Aris Match Preview

PAOK faces Aris for the 25th round of the Greek Super League at Toumba Stadium.

The hosts come from a very bad performance in the previous round against Asteras Tripolis, suffering a 2-1 defeat on the road. They had many missing on their squad and this definitely cost them a lot. Asteras Tripolis took full advantage of it and scored two goals in the game, while PAOK only managed to reduce the score by one, finding the back of the net at the last minutes of the game. 

This defeat made things even more difficult for PAOK, as they struggle to keep their spot in the top three since they have already lost their hopes for the title very early this season. After this result, they are ranked 3rd in the table with a total of 46 points, 1 point behind the second-placed, Aris.

Last Wednesday, they drew 1-1 with Lamia for the Greek Cup, and qualified comfortably to the semi-finals of the competition, as they had won 5-2 in the first leg.

Aris, on the other hand, returned to winning ways in the previous round, prevailing 3-0 over Atromitos. They opened the scoreline at the 22nd minute of the game and despite the fatigue of their players, they managed to easily keep their lead. In the last 30 minutes of the game, the manager did some key substitutions in the squad and they scored 2 more goals, securing all three points. With this victory, they climbed up to the 2nd spot of the table, with a total of 47 points.

In the previous round of the Greek Cup, they faced the league leaders, Olympiakos. Despite the 1-1 draw outcome, they failed to qualify in the semi-finals of the competition, as they were defeated by 2-1 in the first leg.

Today's match is a traditional derby between these two city rivals that are coming in a wholly different form, considering their recent performances. PAOK will seek victory to return to winning ways, while Aris will try to continue their great campaign in the league by getting another three points here. It is noteworthy to mention that Aris stays undefeated in four out of the last five games between these two sides.

PAOK seems to be the favorites in this game, but they struggle to keep a clean sheet in the last few rounds. I'll pick BTTS: Yes for this one, offered at decent 2.11 odds.