After drawing their last two fixtures in the Bundesliga, Thomas Tuchel’s men are desperate to regain that winning momentum from past matches away to PAOK.

PAOK are in decent form

The Greek side have made their home a tough place to come in Europe, something that Schalke found out in 2013, when the Germans snuck through 3-4 on aggregate. That formidable home form has carried into their year’s competition, with PAOK scoring 12 goals without reply in their three home matches this campaign.

Their form, overall, has been mixed but sees them sitting pretty fourth in Greece’s Super League. Three wins, a draw and a loss, alongside their European outings, see them well-placed in both competitions. PAOK are a mere two points behind Panathinaikos in second. Their 3-4-2-1 system proves useful in both defence and attack and allows them to switch seamlessly between both when needs be.

PAOK will be bolstered by the addition of Bundesliga experience to their squad, with many of their squad having plied their trade in Germany’s top division. A total of seven players within their ranks have Bundesliga appearances within their ranks, most notably Dimitar Berbatov.

He’ll be relishing a reunion with Gonzalo Castro, as the pair both turned out for Bayer Leverkusen. Ilkay Gündoğan also has a former team-mate in Greece. Robbie Mak, a winger, played with him at 1. FC Nürnberg in the early part of their careers.

An impressive start under the new boss

Tuchel’s initial appointment to the Westfalen giants was treated with caution by some of the Dortmund faithful, as legendary coach, Jürgen Klopp, departed in the summer. It wasn’t expected that the two would knit together and kick on so quickly, but they did in emphatic fashion.

Before their draw with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, BVB claimed victory in every competitive game with Tuchel at the helm. People may say it looks better than it is, due to the UEFA Europa League qualifiers. However, when Odds BK were three-nil up inside the opening half of their game in Norway, it can be only viewed as a triumph to fight back and record such a win.

That, of course, is without mentioning the wonderful work done domestically. A tricky trip to Chemnitzer FC in the DFB-Pokal was negotiated with relative ease before they brushed aside Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen with an incredible level of confidence. An attacking style of play that harked back to the consecutive Bundesliga triumphs under Klopp’s tutelage.

Team news

Marin LeovacGojko Cimirot and Terry Antonis are continuing their rehab programmes at the club and will not play any part in the match. There are doubts over Miguel Vitor's fitness, who trained on his own on Tuesday, but he will be monitored on a day-to-day basis and looks set to be fit for the game.

Long-term absentees Nuri Sahin and Erik Durm will both be absent, as will a host of players who are being rested. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sokratis, Shinji Kagawa, Ilkay Gündoĝan and Mats Hummels all remained in Dortmund, meaning more rotation from Tuchel that will likely see an almost entirely different starting eleven to that which drew with SV Darmstadt 98 at the weekend.

Referee

Anthony Taylor will be the man with the whistle on Thursday evening. The 36-year-old's stock has risen rapidly in recent years, after he was added to the Select Group Referees that referee Premier League matches in 2010. Since then, he's gone on to make the FIFA list in 2013 and refereed both the League Cup Final and Community Shield this year.

Predicted line-ups

PAOK – (3-4-2-1) Olsen; Miguel Vitor, Ricardo Costa, Tzavellas; Konstantinidis, Kaçe, Tziollis, Garry Rodriguez; Mak, Pelkas; Berbatov.

Borussia Dortmund – (4-1-4-1) Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Ginter, Subotic, Park; Bender; Hofmann, Castro, Leitner, Januzaj; Ramos.

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About the author
Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]