PAOK -v- Shamrock Rovers Preview

The sun may be shining in Salonika but the real heat is on the streets of Greece as the national strike kicks in at full force today.

The atmosphere is volatile and the squad woke up to students protesting and chanting as they marched past the team hotel at around 9.15am (local time) this morning.

Greek soccer fans are very passionate at the best of times but this evening local police are expecting a more intense atmosphere than usual as the national mood is garnered in protest for the day.

Shamrock Rovers come into the game knowing their away form is good in the Europa League and there is a quiet confidence that they can make a genuine attempt to take something from this game.

For the first time this season, the players have had a full week to prepare for a European match since their last competitive game and that something that boss Michael O’Neill believes will be a big help.

“The players had three days off after the Derry game which they needed because they’ve played practically every three days for the last three months, so it was important for them to get that time away and they came back refreshed on Monday,” he explained.

The squad had an early start on Tuesday morning, meeting at Dublin Airport at 6am before flying to Thessaloniki  via Budapest. They rested for the remainder of the day and then trained at the Toumba Stadium last night.

Initial impressions are that it is similar to the ground they played in against Partizan Belgrade, albeit a little more modern, but the pitch is long and will mean there will be space there for both teams to exploit.

“The pitch is very good but it was little bit dry last night so they’ve said they will water it right up until kick-off so that will suit us as well,” according to O’Neill after the session.

“The lads felt the pitch was long definitely, so there will be space out there and watching the games they’ve played there has been a lower tempo to the games but that could have been down to the temperatures that they were played in.

“We emphasised to the players the importance of retaining the ball and of maintaining our shape when we don’t have the ball and they’re well aware that both of those things will be key for us tonight,” he added.

In terms of team news, O’Neill has an injury concern over Craig Sives, who has been hindered with a groin problem of late, so Ken Oman looks set to make his first start in two months after recovering from a knee injury and will partner Dan Murray in central defence.

Full-back Enda Stevens is also in line for a starting jersey having missed out on Rovers’ last two league games against Bray Wanderers and Derry City after being away on U21 international duty. With the immense pace offered by PAOK winger Etto, Stevens could be the preferred option at left back ahead of Jim Paterson.

Rovers will stick to their European formation of 4-5-1 with Gary Twigg the lone frontman as midfield is bolstered with three central players and two wingers and will look to be tighter in defence having conceded what they feel are sloppy goals in their 3-0 home defeat to Rubin Kazan and the 3-1 defeat away to Spurs.

As for the home team, they come into the game off the back of a disappointing 0-0 draw against Crete OFI last Sunday despite commanding 71% possession on the night. They do have a lot of class throughout their side and proved more than a match for Rubin Kazan and Tottenham in their previous group games, drawing 2-2 with the Russians away from home and holding Spurs scoreless at home.

Despite reported concerns over the fitness of midfielder Pablo Garcia, expect him to start as their midfield general while Diego Arias looks set to come in for Giorgos Fotakis who went off injured in the game against Crete at the weekend.

In terms of the game itself, expect PAOK to come at Rovers early on and to dominate possession with particular emphasis on the roles of their attack-minded full-backs, Etto and Lino.

 As a direct result, Rovers will be always looking to counter-attack quickly so the three central midfielders will work hard to win back the ball and when they do, expect the ball to go wide or diagonal to the full-backs/wingers with a determination to get early balls into the box.

The key will be to maximise their attacking opportunities and make PAOK defend every time Shamrock Rovers get a chance to move into their final third. On the other side of it, Michael O’Neill’s side will need to be patient and composed particularly in the opening 20 minutes when the they will most likely have a lot of defending to do but the longer they can keep the game at 0-0, the more optimistic you would become of them snatching something from this game.

PAOK probable starting XI:  Chalkias, Etto, Lino, Cirillo, Malezas, Arias, Salpigidis, Lazar, Atanasiadis, Ivic, Vieirinha.

Injury doubts: Garcia and Fotakis

Shamrock Rovers injury doubts: Craig Sives and Gary O’Neill

Paddy Power Odds: PAOK 1/4; Draw 9/2; Shamrock Rovers 11/1