PAOK to face Anderlecht in Europa League third qualifying round

PAOK has secured its place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League after defeating Dynamo Kyiv with a 2-0 victory, with Giannis Konstantelias scoring both goals. In the upcoming stage, they will face Belgian side Anderlecht, who advanced following a 3-1 comeback win against Hammarby. While Anderlecht initially fell behind to an Abraham goal in the 2nd minute, they leveled through Sikan in the 48th minute, with Cvetkovic and Degreef scoring later to seal the result.

The first leg is scheduled to take place at Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki on Thursday, August 6, at 20:45. The return leg in Brussels is set for August 13, with a kickoff time of 21:30 local time (20:30 Belgian time). Anderlecht enters this phase amidst concerns over squad depth following the departures of De Kat, Simits, and Goto, despite bringing in new reinforcements including Biancon from Olympiacos for 2.5 million euros.

PAOK enters this series following a successful two-leg performance against Dynamo Kyiv. Anderlecht remains the most successful Belgian club in European competitions, though recent transfers have left fans questioning their current competitiveness compared to previous seasons.