Adran Premier League winners Swansea City will face Greek champions PAOK AC on Thursday 18 August in the first round UEFA Women’s Champions League qualification.
A women’s football division of the Thessaloniki-based sports club Panthessaloníkeios Athlitikós Ómilos Konstantinoupolitón, more commonly referred to as PAOK, was formed in 2001 when the club absorbed Olympiada Thessaloniki.
They quickly established themselves as one of the top sides in Greece, winning the league and cup double in their first season.
Following a four-year wait for their next league title, the ‘Doublehead Eagle of the North‘ have established themselves as the dominant force in Greece. They’ve claimed 16 of the last 17 league titles – 2014 being the only exception when Amazones Dramas topped the division.
A tough test for the Swans
Their squad is built on a solid base of Greek players, some of whom play for the national team that will face Wales in World Cup qualifying in September, and a sprinkling of foreign talent.
PAOK have reached the round of 32 four times in their history, most recently doing so in 2017/18 when they were eliminated by Sparta Praha 5-0 on aggregate.
Their captain Thomai Vardali, who was an unused substitute when Wales beat Greece 5-0 last September, told YCPD that she is confident their experience in this competition will guide them through their clash with Swansea.
“We are really prepared for this challenge. We have been working really hard this pre-season. If we compare now to the previous season, we have focused more on our fitness and strength training.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game, but we have the experience and the talent to make it through.”
Preparing for foreign opposition at this level can be difficult. With a lack of TV coverage finding footage to analyse how your opponents are likely to play can be a tough task.
Swansea have had games broadcast live on S4C and their highlights showcased on Sgorio which has given the Greek side some footage to dissect.
PAOK captain Vardali has admitted that she didn’t know all that much about the Swans before her side began preparations for their UWCL clash: “I only knew about the men’s team. Since we learned that we will play together we have watched a few of their games.”
Qualification format
Qualification for the women’s Champions League doesn’t follow the same system as the men’s competition.
Rather than a straight knock-out home and away format, teams are drawn into groups of four during round one with a team selected to host a semi-final and final.
Should Swansea win on August 18 they’ll progress to face the winner of Rangers v Ferencvaros in the Tournament 2 final.
Although her side are hosting the tournament, Vardali doesn’t believe that they’ll benefit from any home advantage against the Swans.
“I would say that it’s a tough group, ourselves and Ferencvaros have more experience in the competition but Swansea and Rangers are big teams, so I think it’s going to be a close one.
“At this level, I don’t think there is an advantage, every team has a chance to progress. Maybe we are more used to the weather conditions.”
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