While the Dutch side want as much difficulty as possible to get closer to qualifying for the round of 16, they will be on the brink of elimination from the Europa League if they suffer a defeat at the hands of the Greeks.
With Roger Schmidt in charge, there was every expectation that PSV Eindhoven would be able to progress through to the knockout stages in relatively comfortable fashion.
However, defeats to Grenada and PAOK have left the Dutch playing catch-up and realistically they will want all three of Thursday night’s issues to leave their fate in their own hands.
Achieving that goal is said and done after PAOK cruised to a 4-1 win in the other match earlier this month, scoring all of their goals in a 19-minute period after the break.
PSV have responded with four points from two games in Eredivisie action, but Schmidt would have been bitterly disappointed with how his team succumbed so tamely in Greece.
On the other hand, PAOK will gain confidence from the way they dismantled a more prominent team, a result that maintained their unbeaten run in the group.
Pablo Garcia’s side are also unbeaten domestically, having lost to FC Krasnodar in the Champions League play-offs this season.
PAOK have not always shown a ruthless streak during that run of games, but 12 goals have been scored in their four most recent matches.
Karol Swiderski is the in-form man, he scored 3 goals in those games, but PAOK doesn’t have a blank sheet of paper in those competitions either.
PSV Eindhoven Europa League form: LWLPSV Eindhoven form (all competitions): LWWLWD
PAOK Europa League form: DDW PAOK form (all competitions): DDWWWW
Despite playing 90 minutes for club and country over the past week, Donyell Malen is expected to feature in the PSV attack.
Denzel Dumfries will return to right-back, while Mohamed Ihattaren and Noni Madueke compete for a place on the left flank.
Mario Gotze was ill at the weekend, but it is possible that the German playmaker will return to the team for this match.
Garcia could revert back to the PAOK team which performed so well in the last fixture between the sides.
That would see Omar El Kaddouri, Diego Biseswar and Antonio Mirko-Colak return to the first eleven after starting the match against PAS Giannina on the substitutes’ bench.
PSV Eindhoven’s possible XI: Mvogo; Dumfries, Teze, Boscagli, Max; Gakpo, Rosario, Sangaré, Ihattaren; Zahavi, Malen
PAOK possible starting lineup:Zivkovic; Soares, Varela, Crespo, Giannoulis; Schwab, Kaddouri, Douglas; Zivkovic, Colak, Biseswar
A drop in the level of organization of this festival would be considered a crisis for PSV, but what is at stake may indicate an improvement in the functionality of this player organization. PAOK may find themselves caught between trying to avoid defeat and pushing for 3 points, which leaves us predicting a tight victory for the home team.
Our investigation of all available data, adding up recent performances and player stats up to an hour before kick-off, suggests that the maximum likely end result of this fits a PAOK win with a probability of 41. 9%. a 32. 19% chance and a draw had a 25. 9% chance.
The maximum probable score for PAOK to win 0-1 with odds of 10. 06%. The next probable maximum scores for this final outcome were 1-2 (8. 82%) and 0-2 (7. 21%). They will probably win 1-0 (8. 59%), while in the event of a draw, 1-1 (12. 31%). The actual outcome of 3-2 was predicted with a probability of 2. 2%.