After last week’s disappointing night in Cyprus, the Double-headed Eagle responded in the best possible way with a win against Asteras Tripolis in a match which saw everything go wrong during the first half, but in which an excellent second half saw PAOK claim all three points.

Everyone’s attention no turns to Thursday’s upcoming match against Granada at the Toumba. PAOK may not have anything to play for in terms of qualifying for the knockout stage, but as coach Pablo Garcia has said, it’s a European match against Spanish opposition and PAOK want a victory not only for the club but for the good of Greek football to help its UEFA Ranking.

The preparations for the match began in thunderous rainy conditions on Monday (07.12) in Nea Mesimvria. The players who started against the Arcadians remained in the gym and swimming pool doing some recovery and recuperation work.

The rest of the group braved the rain on the practice pitches and worked mainly on fitness conditioning. Running drills, rondo, sprints and games within limited spaces were the order of the day, with everything executed with plenty of intensity.

Rodrigo Soares, who went off injured on Sunday after feeling discomfort in his left arm, received some treatment and will have an MRI scan to assess the extent of the injury. Andre Vieirinha received some treatment for his injury and also managed to do some individual work out on the training pitches.

PAOK will train against in Nea Mesimvria on Tuesday (08.12) at 16:00, while the entire squad will also submit new Covid-19 tests, according to UEFA’s health and safety protocols.