paokfc.gr/First Team/Borac Banja Luka vs. PAOK: Facts & Figures
Borac Banja Luka vs. PAOK: Facts & Figures
Ahead of PAOK’s UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round, second-leg clash with Borac Banja Luka In Bosnia, paokfc.gr puts you in the picture about the background to the match with some interesting facts and stats.
- PAOK started their obligations in Europe with a victory for the first time in three years with a 3-2 win over Borac in Thessaloniki. The Double-headed Eagle found three goals – all with headers in the same match, while Konstantinos Koulierakis reached five goals in European competitions overall with the two he scored, entering the top twenty of all time for PAOK.
- Four of PAOK’s top 20 players in Europe are still active, with Andrija Zivkovic already in third place with 12 goals, Andre Vieirinha in fifth with 10 and Stefan Schwab in 11th with six goals.
- The victory over Borac put an end to a negative streak that saw PAOK not to have prevailed in their previous three premieres in European competitions. They had not managed to win after a 2-1 defeat by Bohemians on August 3, 2021, a 2-0 loss to Levski Sofia on July 21, 2022, and last year – on July 27, 2023 – they managed only a goalless draw with Beitar.
- For the 16th consecutive season, PAOK start their competitive obligations in July, or early August. The start of this streak came on July 30, 2009 against Valerega when PAOK won 2-1 away. This was the first time the club played in a European game earlier than August.
- Since then, PAOK have entered the process of qualifying for European events early, with 10 of their premieres taking place in July and five in August. This is PAOK’s 11th for the month of July and just their sixth at home in their 16-plus games.
- This is the seventh year they have been in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, with the first in 2004-05 being decided by a defeat against Maccabi in the first leg and entering again in 2010-11 against Ajax (1-1 in the Netherlands and 3-3 in Thessaloniki).
- In 2013-14, Metalist’s suspension led PAOK to the UEFA Champions League Play Offs for the first time, where they were eliminated by Schalke after a 1-1 draw in Germany and a 3-2 defeat in the Toumba. Ajax followed in 2016-17 in the 3rd qualifying round with a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands and a 2-1 loss in Thessaloniki.
- In 2018-19 PAOK progressed through two qualifying rounds and reached the Play Offs for the second time. They eliminated Basel with a 2-1 win in the Toumba and a win in Switzerland (3-0), then they beat Spartak Moscow 3-2 in Thessaloniki and drew 0-0 in Russia. In the Playoffs they drew 1-1 in Portugal with Benfica and lost 4-1 a the Toumba.
- The 2019-20 season was the last time they were in UEFA Champions League qualifying, where they again faced Ajax, with a 2-2 draw at the Toumba then followed by a 3-2 defeat in the Netherlands.
