Real Sociedad vs PAOK Prediction 30 January 2025

🔊 Will the "royals" justify their status as favorites in the match? In the final round of the UEFA Europa League, Spanish Real Sociedad will host Greek PAOK at the "Reale Arena". The team from Thessaloniki is performing more than commendably in this European season, with significant chances of advancing to the next stage of the tournament. The main referee for the match will be Scotsman John Beaton. Here are the preliminary predictions from bookmakers: victory for the "white and blues" - 1.57, victory for the "double-headed eagles of the North" - 6.4.

📊 H2H

The teams have not faced each other before.

🔵 REAL SOCIEDAD

For the past 7 years, Imanol Alguacil has been the unwavering head coach of Real Sociedad. Thanks to him, the "royals" have become the explosive team we know. The tactical style of the Spanish specialist is based on high intensity, aggressive pressing, and discipline in the defensive phases of the game. However, these characteristics do not apply to the "white and blues" of the current season. The team from San Sebastian is characterized by one of the worst attacking lines in the national championship - about 0.81 goals per match (19th result). Interestingly, Real Sociedad does not seek to capitalize on the creative abilities of their full-backs. Jon Aramburu and Aihen Muñoz regularly take deep positions and rarely cross the midfield. Note that the latter will not be able to help next Thursday due to suspension. In the Europa League, the "royals" are content with 18th place and have already secured a spot in the preliminary playoff round.

⚫ PAOK

After a European defeat to Manchester United (0:2), the "double-headed eagles of the North" secured 3 consecutive victories in the Europa League. This allowed the Greek team to advance early to the preliminary playoff round. The key figure for PAOK this European season is Kiril Despodov, who has scored 3 goals and provided 3 assists. Razvan Lucescu aims to build a dominant team in Thessaloniki. Despite a modest squad, their average ball possession percentage in this Europa League is 57%. Interestingly, PAOK's coach does not tie players to specific roles and positions. For instance, Magomed Ozdoev and Stefan Schwab, who are nominally defensive midfielders, regularly participate in creative work. The only player in the Greek club's infirmary is Thomas Murg.

⚽️ GOAL PREDICTION

Real Sociedad can hardly be considered the undisputed favorite against PAOK. The Greek team convincingly competes against significantly more prestigious opponents. Note that on average, in European matches, the "black and whites" concede no more than 0.9 goals. Moreover, in 4 out of 5 previous matches involving the Thessaloniki team, no more than 3 goals were scored. Based on these points, our choice is total under 3 goals.

🚩 CORNER PREDICTION

Real Sociedad is often inert when controlling the ball. Quick transitions from defense to attack, as well as sharp wing attacks, have long ceased to be characteristics of Real Sociedad. Note the ratio of corners earned and conceded by the "royals" in this European season: 5.3 against 3.7. Another interesting trend: in 4 out of 5 recent matches involving the "white and blues", there were no more than 10 corner kicks observed. We will go with total corners under 10.

📝 MATCH PREDICTION

It's quite naive to assume that the "royals" are such undisputed favorites for the match. The Greek team has not suffered a single defeat with a margin of more than 2 goals in this European season. Moreover, Real Sociedad is in poor form, having suffered 3 consecutive defeats. Our prediction for the final score is 1:1. The key bet is PAOK's victory with a handicap (+1.5).