UPDATE: AEK managed to move to the next phase of the Greek Cup beating with a fascinating 1-1 in extra time.

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The rematch between PAOK and AEK for the Greek Cup quarterfinals takes center stage tonight at Toumba Stadium.

In recent years, their encounters in the Greek Cup have been more than frequent. From 2017 to today, PAOK and AEK have faced each other four times in the final and twice in earlier stages of the competition.

PAOK and AEK have carved their own history in this tournament, with this year’s meeting starting—or rather ending—in a dramatic fashion. In the first leg of the quarterfinals at OPAP Arena, AEK secured a deserved 1-0 victory, but the events that unfolded in the stadium’s parking lot remain a topic of discussion even now.

This controversy continues to impact the tie, as PAOK will be without their coach, Razvan Lucescu, on the bench. The Romanian manager has been handed a four-month ban, and despite PAOK’s appeal, a decision has not been issued before the start of the match.

On the other hand, for the first time in several months, PAOK announced a sold-out crowd, with Toumba Stadium expected to be packed with fans hoping for a smooth and incident-free match.

Team Updates:

PAOK: Giannis Konstantelias and Giorgos Michailidis have recovered from an illness and are expected to return to the starting lineup. However, Baba Rahman, who was sent off against Panathinaikos on Sunday, will not feature.

AEK: Coach Matías Almeyda is likely to field the same starting lineup used in the first-leg match.
The winner of the PAOK-AEK matchup will face the winner of the Panathinaikos-Olympiacos tie in the semifinals.

PAOK fans wearing Lucescu masks:

Starting Lineups:

PAOK:
Kotarski, Sastre, Kedziora, Michailidis, Otto, Kamara, Ozdoev, Zivkovic, Konstantelias, Tyson, Chalov.

AEK:
Brignoli, Hajsafi, Mukudi, Mitoglou, Rota, Jonsson, Pineda, Pereira, Martial, Lamela, Levi.