Why all Cymru Premier clubs will be supporting PAOK this week
Credit: Wikipedia
Fans of all Cymru Premier teams will be hoping that Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki will be able to get a victory over Gibraltarian side Lincoln Red Imps on Thursday night.
At first glance, Group F of the Europa Conference League looks pretty uninteresting unless you’re a fan of one of the four clubs involved.
However, fans of the Cymru Premier will be crossing their fingers and hoping that PAOK will be able to win their final game of the group.
If PAOK are able to beat Lincoln Red Imps in Salonika, not only will they themselves likely qualify for the next round of the Conference League, but Wales will gain an extra European qualification spot for the 2022/23 season.
This is all down to the trusty UEFA country coefficients.
Wales currently sit 50th in a list of 55 UEFA member countries on a total of 5.5 points.
In 51st place is Gibraltar who are on 5.416 points.
If Lincoln Red Imps beat, or even draw with PAOK on Thursday night, due to the high ranking of Greece in the UEFA coefficient (currently ranked 19th), they will gain enough points to overtake Wales and gain an extra European qualification place themselves.
The positive for all Cymru Premier sides is that in the reverse fixture, PAOK beat the Imps 2-0, and the likelihood of the Gibraltarian side gaining a point in Greece is low.
Add to this the fact that Lincoln Red Imps have failed to gain a single point in the group stage so far, and the task ahead of them looks daunting.
It is a little complicated, but every Cymru Premier team will be hoping PAOK will avoid a Greek tragedy of their own and get the job done.
