Manchester United vs. PAOK: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

United are still trying to find their best form but they're likely to field a pretty strong XI here so they should be very confident of winning, even if their performance probably won't be that impressive.

Both teams to score has occurred in all of United's last five games, while both sides have found the back of the net in four of PAOK's last five outings.

PAOK have lost six of their last eight away games in this competition, and despite United's struggles, they should come out on top on Thursday night. Manchester United 3-1 PAOK.

Life without Erik ten Hag continues this week for Manchester United as they look to continue their rejuvenation. Both have stared their European campaigns poorly, with Manchester United languishing in 21st place on the overall table and PAOK even lower at 30th, so both sides are in dire need of a win.

• Date: 07/11/2024
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester United’s season has been an uphill struggle, both domestically and in Europe, with the team currently sitting 13th in the Premier League, meaning their path to the Champions League through the traditional route looks increasingly unlikely. United are desperate to return to the Champions League so the Europa League takes on an added importance to them, as winning the tournament potentially presents their best opportunity to return to club football's premier competition. United have three points from three Europa League games, which means they desperately need to start racking up a tally.

This season has been characterised by upheaval at Old Trafford, as manager Erik ten Hag was dismissed (arguably belatedly) from his post last week, and Portuguese coach Rúben Amorim has been selected to take the reins. However, Amorim’s appointment does not take effect until November 11, the team will continue under the interim management of Ruud van Nistelrooy for this game, and for many United players, this game offers one last chance to make a positive impression before the new manager arrives.

United’s struggles haven't been helped by their poor injury record that's seen them spend significant periods of time without key players, forcing the team to adapt tactically and rely on squad depth that hasn’t always proven adequate. Several players are slowly starting to make their way back to full fitness, so combined with the arrival of Amorim, there's plenty of cause for optimism from a United perspective.

While United’s recent European track record isn’t particularly impressive, they do have some history in the Europa League, having won the competition back in 2017, a victory that marked their last major European trophy, and there’s a lingering sense that a strong run this year could make a challenging season seem far less bleak.

For PAOK, the reigning Greek champions, this year’s Europa League campaign has not yet gone to plan. Despite sitting second in the Greek Super League, where they continue to show strong form, PAOK have struggled to transfer their domestic success to the European stage, finding themselves with just a single point after three games, a tally that reflects a series of performances that haven’t matched the expectations coming into the competition.

This disappointing European form comes on the heels of their first Greek league title in five years, an achievement that many saw as a springboard for a successful Europa League run. However, their performances so far have suggested that the Europa League may represent a level of competition just beyond their current capabilities, particularly when compared to the slightly less demanding Greek Super League, despite the fact they'd reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League in two of the last three seasons.

PAOK’s squad features a few familiar faces for Premier League fans, notably in the shape of Dejan Lovren, the former Liverpool centre-back, who brings a wealth of European experience to the backline, while former Chelsea midfielder Tiémoué Bakayoko provides physicality in the midfield. Slightly less recognisable is Baba Rahman, another former Chelsea player, who plays at left-back.

The quality in PAOK's squad is sporadic at this level, but they will not feel as though they've reached their best level in Europe yet and will be motivates to give a good account of themselves here, especially considering the calibre and notoriety of their opponents

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This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on TNT Sports 2.

Manchester United Team News:

United's injury list remains a long one with Kobbie Mainoo, Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Christian Eriksen, Antony and Tyrell Malacia all missing, while Mason Mount, despite returning to training, is unlikely to return for this one.

Ruud van Nistelrooy will likely name a strong lineup for this game with so few options for changes, but Johnny Evans and Joshua Zirkzee will both hope to come into the starting XI.

Predicted lineup: Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Evans, Martínez; Ugarte, Casemiro; Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho; Zirkzee.

PAOK Team News:

Tiémoué Bakayoko will likely once again miss out for the Greek side after missing the last two games.

Andrija Živković and Tarik Tissoudali will both hope to have done enough to work their way into the starting XI after their goals off the bench at the weekend.

Predicted lineup: Kotarski; Castro, Kędziora, Lovren, Rahman; Shwab, Camara; Živković, Konstantelias, Taison; Tissoudali.

Manchester United are entering this one in fairly poor form on the whole with two wins, two draws and one defeat from their last five games. Most recently, Van Nistelrooy's side took on Chelsea at Old Trafford and were held to a draw in what was a very low-quality game.

That result followed a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the EFL Cup, which came after a 2-1 loss away at West Ham United in what turned out to be Erik ten Hag's last game in charge.

Before that, United drew 1-1 away at Fenerbahçe in a poor performance, which was preceded by a 2-1 win over Brentford.

PAOK are coming off the back of a 2-1 win at the weekend, but it took two substitutes to produce a second half turnaround as Andrija Živković and Tarik Tissoudali came up with the goods.

Prior to that, PAOK beat Egaleo 3-0 in the Greek Cup, a result that followed a shock 1-2 loss to OFI in the league.

Two draws preceded those results, firstly against Viktoria Plzen in this competition, where Baba Rahman scored in stoppage time to secure a 2-2 draw, and secondly against AEK Athens in the league, where Rahman once again claimed a point for his side with a first half goal.

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