Chelsea’s 182nd (or so) opponent: PAOK, who the hell are you?

Chelsea open their second trip to the Europa League with their first visit to PAOK. What can we expect from the abbreviated Aegeans?

Chelsea’s participation in the Europa League has previously only come about by not making it through the group stages of Europe’s mother tournament, the Champions League. Their debut in the group stages of the Europa League comes in Salonika against Greek side PAOK. The two teams have never met in competition, making them the Blues’ 182nd opponent (after adding FK Qarabag to the list compiled by The Chels). Strangely, though, neither side has lost against teams from each other’s country.

PAOK coach Razvan Lucescu favours a 4-2-3-1 formation. Although Maurizio Sarri will heavily rotate his squad for the game, his 4-3-3 formation will remain in place. Sarri could replace the entire starting XI from the game against Cardiff City and still win in Greece comfortably. We can expect wholesale changes as he looks to give fringe players and “the kids” competitive game time.

PAOK are in 62nd place in the UEFA rankings, below Kazakhstan side FC Astana but surprisingly just above the Italian giants Inter Milan. By comparison, Qarabag – Chelsea’s opponent in last season’s Champions League – are in 65th position. Chelsea are currently ranked 20th.

Lucescu’s side reached the qualifying rounds of the Champions League this season but did not make the final cut. They knocked out FC Basel and Spartak Moscow before losing to Benfica at the final hurdle and dropping into UEFA’s minor, minnow competition (west London sides excepted).

Players to watch out for include the club’s top scorer this season, Aleksandar Prijovic. The Swiss-born Serbian international spent time with Derby County during the early stages of his career. This season the 28-year-old has five goals in eight games, four of which came in those Champions League qualifiers. He was rested for PAOK’s league win over Crete last weekend. Most likely to come up with an assist is Andre Vieirinha. The Portuguese left-back likes to get down the wings like a Marcos Alonso facsimile, well… we’ll see.

PAOK’s squad is valued at just over £53 million, quite a small fraction of Chelsea’s market value of £766 million Of course, in cup competitions the valuation is pretty much irrelevant, as Tottenham found out in 2011. The team featuring Luka Modric, Jermaine Defoe and, in the second half, Gareth Bale lost 2-1 at home to the Greek side, who had a player sent off in the first half. Typically Spursy.

Maurizio Sarri will be able to draw on one of his assistants, Carlo Cudicini, regarding what to expect in the 29,000 all-seater Toumba Stadium. He played in Spurs’ reverse fixture in 2011, keeping a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw. He did not play in the home tie.

Blues fans heading to the stadium can expect a vociferous and noisy atmosphere from a typically partisan crowd. Pyrotechnics will most certainly be the order of the day. The passion shown by the supporters in the stands is matched by their Georgian born (under Soviet rule) owner, Ivan Savvidis.

Savvidis found himself in trouble with officials from UEFA when he entered the field of play at the final whistle of a league game last season carrying a handgun in his back pocket. The incident involved the referee giving and then disallowing a goal late on in a game for his side, which somewhat upset Savvidis. The incident resulted in the whole league being suspended whilst new rules were put in place.

Whilst we can only speculate on potential starting XI changes and hope for the right result, we know for certain Chelsea and Maurizio Sarri will take the game seriously. History tells us this.

Since Roman Abramovich bought the Blues back in 2003, without question, Chelsea have never failed to take a competition seriously. PAOK can expect a game.