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PAOK FC welcome Beitar Jerusalem to the Doumbia Stadium for the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round on Thursday (July 27).
The hosts booked their spot at this stage of the qualifiers courtesy of their fourth-place finish in the Greek Super League last season. Their last competitive game was in May when they suffered a 2-0 defeat against AEK Athens in the Greek Cup final. They have played a couple of preseason friendlies, the most recent one being a 3-2 defeat to Westerlo.
Beitar, meanwhile, qualified for Europe as Israeli State Cup champions, seeing off Netanya with a comfortable 3-0 win in the final. They're coming off a 3-1 defeat to Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Super Cup over the weekend. Beitar went ahead through Fred Friday in the 34th minute, but second-half goals from Tjarron Chery, Din David and Anan Khalaili helped Haifa clinch the season opener.
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They turn their attention to the continent as they seek to qualify for the Conference League group stage. The winner of this tie face Hajduk Split in the third qualifying round.
PAOK FC vs Beitar Jerusalem Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the third meeting between the two sides. They were paired in the knockouts of the 2000-01 UEFA Cup, with PAOK progressing with a 6-4 aggregate win.
- Four of PAOK's last five home games across competitions have had goals at both ends.
- Five of Beitar's last six away games have produced at least three goals.
- Beitar are winless in five European qualification games.
- Five of PAOK's last six European qualification games have had goals at both ends.
PAOK FC vs Beitar Jerusalem Prediction
PAOK will hope to start their new campaign on a winning note to keep their European run going. The Thessaloniki outfit will look to emulate their sojourn in 2022, where they made the Conference League quarterfinals.
Beitar, meanwhile, started their campaign on a sour note by losing the Israeli Cup despite going ahead. PAOK are heavy favourites to progress and should claim a comfortable win.
Prediction: PAOK 3-1 Beitar
PAOK FC vs Beitar Jerusalem Betting Tips
Tip 1 - PAOK to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - PAOK to score over 1.5 goals
