Man Utd vs PAOK preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

A revitalized Manchester United side take on 4-time Greek champions PAOK Salonika at Old Trafford in their fourth Europa League group stage match on Thursday. 

Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of his first and only Europa League clash as interim manager of the club against PAOK.

It’s now over a year since United last won a competitive fixture in Europe. Their last victory came in the 1-0 win over Danish Superliga side, Copenhagen in October 2023.

Since then, the Red Devils have gone on a six-game winless run in European competitions, losing two and recording four draws, their worst run of results in Europe since 1983.

The Premier League giants have recorded draws in each of their three Europa League games this season, surrendering leads in the 1-1 draw with Twente and the 3-3 encounter with Porto, where a late Harry Maguire header spared their blushes to secure a point for Erik ten Hag’s led United side netted a last-minute equalizer.

They also let another lead slip after Christian Eriksen’s 15th-minute opener was cancelled out by a thumping Youssef En-Nesyri header as United played out a draw against Fernabahce at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul.

The draw against Jose Mourinho’s led side saw the Red Devils drop further down to 21st position, two points above their next opponents, PAOK who sits in 30th place in the Europa League table.

On the domestic front, United have endured yet another slow start to the season with only three wins and three draws while losing four in 13 Premier League matches this season.

With 12 points from 10 matches, United have recorded their worst start to the League season in 40 years since the 1986-87 season.

Following Ten Hag’s dismissal, Ruud van Nistelrooy has stepped in as interim manager, guiding United to a 5-2 victory over Leicester City in the EFL Cup and a lacklustre 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Premier League. Van Nistelrooy is set to lead two additional matches this week before Ruben Amorim formally assumes the role on November 11.

The Dutch manager will hope to secure United’s third win in 10 games on Thursday night in United’s first-ever clash against PAOK in a competitive game.

PAOK will be making their Europa League return after a four-year absence following a quarter-final finish in the Conference League last season. They’re among the eleven teams alongside United that will be aiming for their first win in the competition after failing to win any of their opening Europa League games.

The Double-headed Eagles’ start to the Europa League has been equally unimpressive like that of United. The Greek champions suffered a 3-1 defeat in Istanbul to Galatasaray, followed by a disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Steaua Bucharest. However, they managed to earn their first point of the campaign with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Viktoria Plzen, coming from two goals down with just six minutes left to play at home two weeks ago.

Despite their poor showing in Europe, Razvan Lucescu’s team have had a solid start to their Greek Super League title defence, earning 20 points from their first 10 matches. Their latest result was a 2-1 away win over Lamia last weekend, leaving them just one point behind league leaders Aris Thessaloniki.

With a heavyweight clash coming on Sunday against perennial rivals, Olympiacos, Lucescu will hope to finish the game on a high to boost his team’s morale while also hoping his side doesn’t get fatigued ahead of the clash.

They’ll be aiming to avoid a third consecutive defeat against English opponents when they face United after suffering back-to-back defeats to 2018-19 Europa League champions, Chelsea.

Man Utd Vs PAOK match details 

• Date: Thursday, 7 November, 2024
• Location: Manchester, England
• Venue: Old Trafford
• Kick-off time: 9:00 PM GMT, 20;00 UTC
• Referee: Radu Petrescu
• Assistant referees: Radu Ghinguleac, Mircea Mihail Grigoriu
• Fourth official: Marcel Birsan
• VAR: Daniele Chiffi
• Assistant VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo
• Tickets: Fans can buy tickets via trusted online reseller Seatsnet.com or through the club websites.

Match stats and head-to-head

• United have won all six of their matches against Greek opponents at Old Trafford, scoring 20 goals and conceding just one.

• Overall, United have faced Greek opponents on 12 occasions across all competitions, winning eight, losing one recording three draws.

• The Red Devils are winless in their last five Europa League matches, with four ending in draws.

• United and PAOK are among 11 teams in this year’s Europa League campaign that are yet to find a win in any of their opening three games.

• United’s captain Bruno Fernandes averages three shots per game in this season’s Europa League, the most by any United player.

• PAOK have lost five of their last six away matches in the Europa League.

• United’s midfielder Manu Ugarte has made 10 tackles in this season’s Europa League campaign, the joint-fourth in the competition.

• Noussair Mazraoui has made 28 ball recoveries in the Europa League, the most by any United player and the fifth-most in the competition.

Team news 

United’s midfield duo of Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen have returned to training and will be accessed to determine their availability for this clash.

Club captain Bruno Fernandes, suspended for United’s trip to Turkey to face Fenerbahce, will be available for Thursday night’s clash against the Greek champions.

At the time of writing, Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire are yet to recover from their hamstring and calf injuries respectively. Dutch left-back, Tyrell Malacia and Leny Yoro are stepping up their recoveries from knee and ankle injuries respectively while Brazilian winger Antony is ruled out with an ankle injury.

For the opponents, PAOK will be without former Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, who will miss the clash due to injury.

38-year-old veteran defender, Vierinha — who scored against United, when he played for Wolfsburg is ineligible to play as he was not selected as part of the Greek’s club squad for this competition.

Former Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren and former Aston Villa centre-forward Mbwana Samatta are also ineligible for the game after being omitted from Razvan Lucescu’s team.

Former United forward, Shola Shoretire — who spent 10 years at the club before leaving on free transfer to the Greek champions, is in contention to face his former club and will hope to emulate former teammate, Facundo Pellistri to score against their former Premier League teams after facing them in Europe.

Predicted starting lineup 

Man United predicted starting lineup:

Onana; Dalot, De Ligt, Martinez, Mazraoui; Ugarte, Casemiro; Diallo, Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee.

PAOK predicted starting lineup:

Kotarski; Jonny, Kedziora, Colley, Rahman; Camara, Ozdoyev; Despodov, Konstantelias, Taison; Chalov.

Prediction

Confidence has been high in United’s camp since Ruud van Nistelrooy took over. However, goals remain a problem for United as Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are yet to find their prolific scoring boots.

On the other hand, PAOK won their last two games scoring at least one goal. They will be hoping to get their first win in the competition this season.

While United have netted first in their last two games, their defensive vulnerabilities could yet again be their achilles heel against a free-scoring Double-headed Eagles side.

However, United possess a stronger and superior quality and are tipped to record their first win in Europe in over a year.

We’re predicting a 2-1 win for United.