PAOK name squad for Besiktas battle
PAOK have declared the list of players registered for action in the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round battle against Besiktas at the Toumba Stadium, while Pontus Wernbloom has been offloaded to Goteborg.
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The big day is approaching for the Dikefalos tou Vorra. Next Tuesday, PAOK will host Besiktas in Thessaloniki in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, with the tie to be decided in just the one match as a consequence of the tight schedule. PAOK are aiming to qualify for the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in history.
Earlier this week, head coach Abel Ferreira named the list of players eligible to participate in the duel against Besiktas, not making any major surprises with his selection:
LIST A
Goalkeepers: Alexandros Paschalakis, Rodrigo Rey, Zivko Zivkovic.
Defenders: Rodrigo Soares, Jose Angel Crespo, Leo Matos, Dimitris Giannoulis, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Fernando Varela, Giannis Michailidis, Enea Mihaj, Marios Tsaousis.
Midfielders: Anderson Esiti, Dimitris Pelkas, Omar El Kaddouri, Diego Biseswar, Konstantinos Balogiannis, Nika Ninua, Charis Tsingaras, Stefan Schwab.
Forwards: Dimitris Limnios, Leo Jaba, Chuba Akpom, Karol Swiderski, Christos Tzolis.
LIST B
Goalkeepers: Konstantinos Balomenos, Christos Talichmanidis.
Defenders: Aventis Aventisian, Kyriakos Giaxis, Panagiotis Panagiotou, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Lefteris Lyratzis.
Midfielders: Giannis Konstantelias.
Forwards: Antonis Gaitanidis, Giorgos Koutsias.
WERNBLOOM LEAVES FOR SWEDEN
In other news, PAOK eventually parted ways with Pontus Wernbloom, with the Greeks selling the experienced Swedish midfielder to IFK Goteborg for an undisclosed fee:
“PAOK FC announces the transfer of Pontus Wernbloom to Goteborg.
“We thank The Viking for his contribution to our team, wishing him luck in his career.”
Wernbloom’s contract with PAOK was due to expire next summer. Russian clubs had also expressed their interest in Wernbloom in recent days.
Since transferring to PAOK from CSKA Moscow in August 2018, the 34-year-old has been hindered by serious injuries, only participating in 11 Super League matches. Wernbloom leaves Thessaloniki with one league title and one Greek Cup under his belt.
