Match Overview

The third-round match of the 2025/26 general stage, featuring Lille (France) against PAOK (Greece), will be held on October 23 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq. Here’s our preview, prediction, betting odds analysis, and key statistics for the Lille vs PAOK clash.

Lille Team Analysis

Lille’s Journey

Lille kicked off their campaign with a hard-fought win against Brann, successfully snapping a challenging three-match losing streak in the competition. Subsequently, “Les Dogues” continued their excellent form by securing a full three points in an away game versus AS Roma. The team has now found the net in ten consecutive fixtures and, notably, achieved their first clean sheet in seven matches. In both of their outings this season, Bruno Genesio’s squad clinched victories by the narrowest of margins, but crucially, Lille remains undefeated and currently occupies the 7th spot in the overall tournament standings. 

Lille Statistics

• Both teams have scored in 6 of Lille’s last 7 previous matches.
• Lille’s decisive streak in this European competition now stands at 6 matches (3 wins, 3 losses).
• The team has conceded at least one goal in 7 consecutive home fixtures.

Lille’s Probable Starting XI (4-4-2)*

Berke Özer – Thomas Meunier, Aïssa Mandi, Chancel Mbemba, Calvin Verdonk – Félix Correia, Nabil Bentaleb, Ayoub Bouaddi, Osame Sahraoui – Hákon Haraldsson, Olivier Giroud.

Lille Injury Report

Goalkeeper Marc-Aurèle Caillard, along with defenders Ousmane Touré and Alessandro, are sidelined due to injuries. Defender Tiago Santos has recovered and could potentially feature in the squad. The availability of midfielders Nabil Bentaleb and Ngalayel Mukau for the match remains doubtful.

PAOK Team Analysis

PAOK’s Performance

The Greek side has yet to secure a victory in the opening rounds of the . Their home encounter against Maccabi Tel Aviv resulted in a goalless draw, followed by a defeat to Celta Vigo, despite PAOK managing to score and open the account in the first half. Consequently, with only one point accrued, the team currently sits at the 28th position in the overall standings. It’s noteworthy that in their two matches, Răzvan Lucescu’s squad has collectively scored just one goal, a dismal offensive record surpassed only by three other clubs in the competition.

PAOK Statistics

• PAOK has failed to score more than 1 goal in 8 of their last 9 matches.
• The club covered a +1.5 handicap in 5 of their last 6 fixtures in this tournament.
• At least one team failed to score in 6 of PAOK’s last 7 matches. 

PAOK’s Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1)*

Jiří Pavlenka – Abdul Rahman Baba, Alessandro Vogliacco, Giannis Michailidis, Joan Sastre – Alessandro Bianco, Magomed Ozdoev – Giannis Konstantelias, Kiril Despodov, Mady Camara – Georgios Giakoumakis.

PAOK Injury Report

First-choice goalkeeper Jiří Pavlenka is currently injured.

Match Official

Referee Profile: Nikola Dabanović

Nikola Dabanović (Montenegro)

Matches officiated – 15 (International fixtures, 2024/25–2025/26);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 47;

Average yellow cards per match – 3.1;

Red cards shown – 2;

Average fouls per match – 22;

Penalties awarded – 7%.

Lille vs PAOK Match Prediction

Lille’s Strong Start and Home Form

After two rounds of the , Lille has amassed the maximum possible 6 points. Maintaining such momentum in this European competition has historically been challenging for them, but the team has avoided defeat in at least 7 of their last 10 matches. Home losses are a rare occurrence for Lille; they have suffered only one defeat in their last 6 home fixtures. It’s worth noting that both teams scored in all 6 of these games, yet a maximum of 3 goals were recorded in 5 out of 6 encounters.

PAOK’s Struggles and Away Record

PAOK is yet to claim a victory in the main tournament. Overall, excluding extra time, the club has managed only one win in their last nine matches in this European competition. Furthermore, in 7 of these 9 matches, we witnessed no more than 3 goals. On foreign soil, in regular time, the Greek side has secured just 1 win in their last 8 away games, with 6 of those 8 fixtures ending in defeat for PAOK, and the 4-goal mark being exceeded in only 2 matches.

Final Prediction

Our prediction for this match is “1X (Lille win or draw) and Under 3.5 Goals”.

Author

Author: Nikita Kudryavtsev

Disclaimer

* The probable starting lineup indicated for each team is based on their previous match in this tournament.