Belgium take on Greece Thessaloniki
Brugge is in turmoil
Club Brugge manager Deliner took charge at the end of last season, and after just 10 months in charge, the club sacked him ahead of the international break. Club Brugge have been disappointing this season and are far from reaching the heights of previous seasons.
Despite this, Club Brugge beat Norwegian side Molde in the Europa League in March to reach the quarter-finals. They won 3-0 at home in the second leg after losing the first leg away.
The 48-year-old Delena was replaced by interim head coach Nikki Hain after a worrying 1-2 defeat to mid-table side Sint-Truiden in the Belgian First Division on March 17. Hayne will lead Club Brugge to their first ever European title.
Brugge's 22-year-old Brazilian rising star Thiago Rodriguez is the goal leader in this season's UEFA Cup, scoring four goals in seven appearances. It is believed that he will continue to extend his scoring record on Thursday night.
Hain's side picked up a league win on Sunday as they welcomed second-placed Anderlecht. In the end, it was Oneika who scored twice and Michele Mecheler netted a goal to secure a valuable three points for Club Brugge.
Can Thessaloniki repeat the reversal
Like Club Brugge's opponents in this round, Theokssaloniki also staged a brilliant comeback in the Europa League knockout round. They knocked out Croatia's Zagreb in the second leg of the round of 16. In the first leg, Theokssaloniki were 2-0 down at home, and in the second leg they beat their opponents 5-1 at home to complete a shocking comeback.
The defeat in the first leg away from home did not crush the country, but only boosted their spirits. In the second leg, former Chelsea defender Abdul Rahman Baba opened the scoresheet.
After European victories before the international break, PAOK have picked up seven points from their last three Greek Premier League matches.
They did not score the equaliser until the 89th minute of Sunday's match with AEK Athens through Ozdoev, who ended in a draw.
Club Brugge and Theokssaloniki last met in the group stage of the Europa League in 2010/11, when they drew with a draw.
summary
We're expecting a close contest between Club Brugge and Theoksaloniki with neither side wanting to fall too far behind in the first leg. Although Club Brugge went through a period of turmoil with a manager change last month, we believe they can get a draw tonight: 1-1 thanks to home advantage.