Matchday 5 of the Europa League 2024/25 group stage between RFS (Latvia) and PAOK (Greece) will take place on November 28 at the Daugava Stadium in Riga. RFS vs. PAOK: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Predicted lineups for RFS vs. PAOK
RFS (3-5-2): Devis Epassy – Daniels Balodis, Herdi Prenga, Haruna Rashid Nji – Lasha Odisharia, Dmitrijs Zelenkovs, Stefan Panic, Adam Marhiev, Roberts Savalnieks – Janis Ikaunieks, Alen Kouadio.
PAOK (4-5-1): Dominik Kotarski – Honni, Omar Colley, Tomasz Kedziora, Abdul Rahman Baba – Magomed Ozdoev, Stefan Schwab, Andrija Zivkovic, Mohamed Camara, Taison – Tarik Tissoudali.
The starting lineup for each team is based on their previous match in this tournament.
RFS
The team drew their previous Europa League match against Anderlecht with a score of 1-1. As a result, RFS remains winless in the group stage (2 draws, 2 losses). They are currently ranked 32nd in the Europa League standings, trailing the playoff zone by 2 points. The Latvian team has scored half as many goals as they have conceded, with a goal difference of 4:8. Notably, both of RFS's home matches in the group stage ended in draws.
- The club's winless streak in the Europa League stands at 5 matches (2 draws and 3 losses in regular time).
- The team has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 6 matches in this tournament.
- RFS has not lost in their last 4 home matches in the second-tier European competition (2 wins, 2 draws).
PAOK
The Greek club suffered their third defeat in the group stage (1 draw), losing 0-2 to Manchester United in the previous round. Like their upcoming opponent, PAOK has not managed to keep a clean sheet in the main stage of the current Europa League edition. They have conceded the same number of goals as RFS but have scored one less. With one point, PAOK is just behind their upcoming opponent in the Europa League standings, occupying the 33rd position.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 5 of their last 7 Europa League matches.
- The team has lost 7 of their last 9 away matches in the second-tier European tournament (1 win, 1 draw).
- PAOK has conceded at least twice in 4 of their last 5 away Europa League games.
RFS vs. PAOK: Match Prediction
Both teams have struggled in the group stage of the Europa League. However, unlike PAOK, RFS has yet to lose at home in the current tournament edition. Including qualification matches, the team from Riga has 2 wins and 2 draws at home. Meanwhile, the Greek club has performed poorly away in the second-tier European competition, losing 7 of their last 9 matches. Therefore, I disagree with bookmakers who consider the visitors as clear favorites for the upcoming encounter.
RFS has not lost at home in the main stage of the tournament against much stronger opponents than PAOK, such as Galatasaray (2-2) and Anderlecht (1-1). Additionally, the team from Riga has been aggressive in ball recovery in the current Europa League edition, being the best team in this regard (80). Even if the Greeks manage to snatch a victory in Riga, it is unlikely to be a large-margin win. I believe a reliable betting position would be a positive handicap on the hosts.
My prediction: RFS with a handicap (+1)
