PAOK made a mistake in the penultimate stage in Greece! What needs to happen to reach the Champions League
Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 10:08 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 10:18 p.m.
PAOKthe team led by Răzvan Lucescu, drew with AEKscore 1-1, in a match of round #5 of the play-off in the first league of Greece. The team from Athens is already a champion, but it complicated the calculations of the Romanian technician for a place in the Champions League preliminaries.
In Greece, the second-placed team goes to the second round of the Champions League qualifiers, and the third-placed team goes to the second round of the Europa League qualifiers.
With the victory of Olympiakos in the derby with historical rival Panathinaikos, the red and white team managed to overtake PAOK in the ranking, in second place. Răzvan Lucescu's team needs the results game in the last stage to qualify for the Champions League preliminaries.
PAOK need the results game for a qualification in the Champions League qualifiers after the draw with AEK
After an uneventful first half, in the second act AEK scored the first through Luka Jovic in the 73rd minute, from Kutesa's pass. PAOK equalized late on in the 88th minute through Mythou from Zivkovic's pass. Răzvan Marin was integral to the guests.
Olympiakos currently has 65 points, while PAOK has 63, with only one stage left in the championship.
In the last stage of the play-offs, PAOK will travel to the ground of Panathinaikos, while AEK will receive the visit of Olympiakos. If the red-white team wins the duel with AEK, they get the tickets for the second round of the Champions League. Any other result in AEK v Olympiakos would send PAOK into the Champions League, should Răzvan Lucescu's side manage to win against Panathinaikos.
If Olympiakos draws and PAOK wins against AEK, the two would be tied, but the advantage would be on the side of Răzvan Lucescu's team because the tie is played in direct matches: in the four matches PAOK accumulated 8 points, while Olympiakos collected only two points.
