This season’s European journey of PAOK brings to Toumba some illustrious performers, a team rather unknown to the general public and a journeyman who knows all about Greek football! Here is paokfc.gr’s first closer look at ACF Fiorentina, En Avant de Guingamp and FC Dinamo Minsk:

ACF Fiorentina don’t need special introduction. A traditional Serie A force, with 2 league titles, 6 Coppe Italia and 1 Supercoppa in their trophy cabinet, the Viola seem destined for even greater heights. Their head coach Vincenzo Montella made a name for himself as a striker in various Italian clubs and the national squad and is fondly remembered as “L’Aeroplanino” for his trademark goal celebration. He led Fiorentina to 4th place in last season’s Serie A standings, behind SSC Napoli who earned the last UEFA Champions League spot. The Viola roster consists of various renowned players, with Colombian Juan Cuadrado, Mario Gómez and Giuseppe Rossi standing out.

En Avant de Guingamp earned the right to participate in the UEFA Europa League group stage as Cup holder of France, having prevailed 2-0 over Stade Rennais FC in the final. They struggled in Ligue 1 however and ended up in 16th place with 42 points. Their coach since 2010 is 42-year old Jocelyn Gourvennec. The players standing out from the Brittany outfit’s roster are Malian striker Mustapha Yatabaré, midfielder Younousse Sankharé from Mauritania and skipper Lionel Mathis. They are currently 16th in the league standings after one away victory (1-0 over RC Lens) and two home losses (0-2 to AS Saint-Etienne and 0-1 to Olympique de Marseille).

ITo underestimate FC Dinamo Minsk, just because they were in Pot 4 of the draw with the theoretically weaker sides of this season’s UEFA Europa League, would be a grave error. To reach the group stage, the Belarus outfit eased past MYPA (3-0 at home, 0-0 away), CFR Cluj (two victories) and Portuguese side Nacional (won 2-0 at home and 3-2 away). They stand currently second in the Belarussian league, trailing leaders FC BATE Borisov by two points in 21 matches, as the regular season is about to conclude. Their head coach is 43-year old Uladzimir Zhuravel and the name that stands out from their roster is Chigozie Udoji, a journeyman of the Greek league! FC Dinamo Minsk have won 6 league titles and 3 cups and are the only club from the former Belarussian Soviet Socialist Republic to have competed in the Soviet Top League –they also went on to win it back in 1982.