#PAOK face AEL Larissa for the first time in the Greek Cup group stage. The two sides previously met twice in knockout matches and once in the final of the competition. It was back in 1985, when AEL deprived PAOK of the domestic double.

#Curiously enough, that meeting on 22 June 1985 was their first ever in the Greek Cup, as they had never been drawn together before. AEL Larissa prevailed 4-1 in that final and earned their first ever silverware.

#PAOK and AEL Larissa next met in the quarter-final stage of the competition in Toumba, on 10 March 1991. PAOK prevailed 3-0 (Lagonidis 41’, Borbokis 78’, Karageorgiou 83’). In the second leg in Larissa, they weren’t really threatened despite the 2-0 defeat. Petkov had made it 1-0 in the 25th minute and Da Silva added the second during stoppage time.

#In 2003-04, the two sides were drawn together early, in the first round of the competition –back then there was no group stage, just knockout encounters. Larissa edged out a 1-1 draw (Giasemakis 10’ – Tsakmakidis 42’) in Toumba behind closed doors due to PAOK’s ban. The “Double-Headed Eagle” set the record straight in the second leg by prevailing 3-0 (Hagan 14’, Spasić 41’, Giasemakis 86’). Angelos Anastasiadis was calling the shots back then from PAOK’s bench –now he will be sitting on AEL’s bench.

#Angelos Anastasiadis last faced PAOK on 9 March 2013, as head coach of Platanias, losing that match 1-2. His last visit to Toumba Stadium dates back to 1 April 2012 (PAOK – PAS Giannina 1-2).

#The two sides last met on 3 April 2011 for matchday 28 of the Greek Super League, with PAOK prevailing 1-0 (Athanasiadis 68’). Then-footballer-now-coach Vladan Ivić played all 90 minutes of that encounter.