Fighting for a spot in the last four of the competition, Club Brugge will lock horns with PAOK at Jan Breydelstadion on Thursday night in the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final.
Brugge are striving for European glory under interim management as the season draws to a close, whilst PAOK are hoping to become the first Greek side to reach a continental final in over 50 years.
Match preview
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After just 10 months in charge of the club - starting near the end of the 2022-23 campaign - Club Brugge made the decision prior to the international break to part company with former manager Ronny Deila following a disappointing 2023-24 season to date, with his men not hitting the heights of previous terms.
Despite this, Brugge are now preparing for a last-eight clash on the continental stage after March's success in the Conference League over Norwegian side Molde, with the Belgian club winning their second leg 3-0 after falling to a narrow defeat at Aker Stadion in the first leg.
Following the highly-concerning 2-1 loss to mid-table dwellers St Truiden in the Belgian Pro League on March 17, 48-year-old Deila was replaced in the managerial hotseat by interim boss Nicky Hayen, who will be seeking to lead Club Brugge to their first-ever European honour.
Leading the way for Brugge in this season's Conference League, Brazilian starlet Thiago Rodrigues has made the net ripple four times during seven matches in the competition, and the 22-year-old will be confident of adding to his impressive tally on Thursday night.
Hayen's men are coming off the back of a much-needed success in the Pro League on Sunday afternoon, when a brace from Raphael Onyedika and an opener from Brandon Mechele was enough to secure maximum points versus second-placed Anderlecht.
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As was the case with their quarter-final opponents, PAOK booked their place in the last eight of the Conference League after overturning a two-goal deficit from the first leg of their round-of-16 clash, eventually getting the better of Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb.
The Greek side did not only overturn the deficit, though, they demolished it, winning the second leg 5-1 at Stadio Toumbas on March 14, when former Chelsea defender Abdul Rahman Baba opened the scoring in the first half.
Since that success on the continent prior to the international break, PAOK have collected a respectable tally of seven points from their last three matches in the Greek Super League, settling for a share of the spoils versus AEK Athens on Sunday after netting a 89th-minute equaliser through Magomed Ozdoev.
Club Brugge and PAOK last met in a competitive sense during the group stages of the 2010-11 Europa League, when both matches between the sides ended in 1-1 draws, but there must be a winner and loser by the end of play in Greece on April 18.
Team News
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Club Brugge remain without the services of right-back Denis Odoi for the first leg of the clash with PAOK, with the former Fulham man set for a spell in the medical room.
The Belgian side are sweating over the fitness of first-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has not featured for his side since the loss versus St Truiden.
Hayen will be unable to call upon the services of Andreas Skov Olsen, who picked up a knock at the beginning of April during his side's draw versus rivals Cercle Brugge on April 1.
After being integral during Nigeria's run to the Africa Cup of Nations, William Troost-Ekong has suffered with muscle cramps recently and is not set to return in time for Thursday.
Last playing on the final day of March, Ivan Nasberg has since picked up an injury, meaning that the centre-back is unlikely to feature in this one.
Club Brugge possible starting lineup:
Jackers; Sabbe, Ordonez, Mechele, Meijer; Nielsen, Onyedika, Vetlesen; Skoras, Nusa, Rodrigues
PAOK possible starting lineup:
Kotarski; Jonny, Kedziora, Koulierakis, Baba; Meite, Schwab; Zivkovic, Murg, Konstantelias; Brandon
We say: Club Brugge 1-1 PAOK
We are expecting a tight clash between Club Brugge and PAOK, with both sides not wanting to lose any significant ground before the second leg next week.
Brugge are not in the best moment following the change of management last month, but we feel that the hosts should be good enough for a draw on Thursday.
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