Club Brugge will be looking to claim the advantage as they host PAOK in the Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg. While the Greeks have looked sharp lately, Brugge have been imperious at home and should have the upper hand on Thursday.
Club Brugge have played in this season’s Conference League from the group stage, losing just once in the competition. That defeat came in the previous round as they were beaten 2-1 in the first leg in Molde before returning home for a 3-0 victory in the return fixture.
The Belgians head into Thursday’s quarter-final first leg in good form as they are unbeaten in four of their last five matches across all competitions. Nicky Hayen’s men picked up a 3-1 victory over Anderlecht in a domestic fixture last weekend.
The victory over Anderlecht is part of a solid home record for Club Brugge, who have lost just once at Jan Breydelstadion across all competitions this season. They have won four of their last five home matches but have kept just one clean sheet in the last four in that run.
Like Club Brugge, PAOK have also impressed in the Conference League, suffering just one defeat in the competition so far. They even had a similar result in the previous round, losing 2-0 in the first leg against Dinamo Zagreb before running out 5-1 winners in the return fixture at home.
PAOK have also shown some quality in recent weeks with three wins and a draw from their last four matches across all competitions. However that draw came last weekend as they were held 2-2 by AEK Athens in a Greek Super League fixture.
The result in Athens highlights PAOK’s recent away form as they have picked up just one win from their last three away matches across all competitions. The defeat at Dinamo Zagreb is also part of that run which has seen Razvan Lucescu’s men concede six goals.
How the bookies view it
Club Brugge have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 3/4 by 888Sport. A victory for PAOK is valued at 9/2 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by Betfred.
Head to head
PAOK have never lost to Club Brugge, claiming one win and two draws from three previous fixtures. The most recent meeting was a friendly in 2016 which ended 2-0 in favour of the Greeks.
Players to watch
Igor Thiago is the leading scorer for Club Brugge this season and will be the one to watch on Thursday. The Brazilian forward has four goals in his last Conference League matches and is priced at 6/4 by BoyleSports to maintain his scoring run.
Andrija Zivkovic impressed in this year’s Conference League and could be worth keeping an eye on for PAOK. The forward has six goals in the competition and is priced at 9/2 by Paddy Power to score anytime on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
PAOK have seen over 3.5 goals in their last four matches across all competitions and a repeat is priced at 23/10 with Paddy Power. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 17/20 by Paddy Power, who is also offering 10/11 on both teams to score.
Club Brugge have scored in both halves in five of their last six home matches and could be set for a repeat at 15/8 by William Hill.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Club Brugge and PAOK will be played on Apr 11, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Club Brugge vs PAOK prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.