Both Manchester United and PAOK go into Thursday’s Europa League clash looking for their first victory of this season’s tournament.
United have collected draws in all of their opening three fixtures, while their Greek opponents have just one point to their name (kick-off 8pm, live on TNT Sports 2).
With interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy taking charge again, the hosts will hope they can build on two games without defeat.
Ruud keen to entertain
It’s still not clear as to whether Ruud van Nistelrooy will stay on as part of the coaching team, when Ruben Amorim takes charge following the international break.
Having been assistant to Erik ten Hag, the Dutchman has since overseen a win over Leicester in the EFL Cup, before claiming a league point against Chelsea.
In a third consecutive home game, United now need to kick-start their European campaign, with their former striker likely to have them on the front foot from the start.
They face a PAOK team that has been leaky from a defensive perspective, keeping just two clean sheets in their last 10 matches in all competitions.
The hosts though will once again have to deal with injury problems. Van Nistelrooy will again be without defensive trio, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro, while Kobbie Mainoo is also still sidelined with a hamstring problem.
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Tip 1: Over 3.5 Total Goals @ 5/4
Both teams have scored in each of Man Utd’s last five matches and there have been three or more goals in three of those five games.
With van Nistelrooy’s attacking tendencies, it is clear to see that he wants the team to play with more threat going forward.
In his first game in charge, United scored five in the cup win over Leicester and then took the lead from the spot against Chelsea on Sunday.
PAOK’s defensive record suggests the hosts can take advantage on Thursday, with the Greek Super League team conceding six goals in their opening three Europa League fixtures.
Last season’s Greek champions also have the worst defensive record in the top seven of their domestic league, with nine goals leaked in the first 10 fixtures.
Tip 2: First Goalscorer – Bruno Fernandes @ 7/1
One of the few pluses from a poor recent run of form for Man Utd is the return to goalscoring form of their captain.
Bruno Fernandes had failed to score this season until the EFL Cup success at Old Trafford at the end of last month.
The Portuguese star scored a brace in the thumping win over the Foxes, before adding to his tally in the draw with Chelsea.
With Fernandes on penalties and free kicks, he looks like the obvious choice in the goalscoring markets.
The 30-year-old scored twice in last season’s Champions League campaign and it seems just a matter of time before the skipper finds the net in Europe again.
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