Loud Stadium. No Goals. Nothing Decided.
Toumba was packed. Both sets of fans had something to fight for. Ninety minutes of Greek football’s most ferocious rivalry, with the title race right in the balance.
Neither team scored. 0-0.
That is four meetings this season between PAOK and Olympiacos where neither side has managed to score. The two clubs that dominate this league cannot find the net against each other. That stat tells you something about the respect — and the fear — each carries into these games.
Olympiacos stay second. PAOK stay third. Three points between them. The fight goes on.
Caution Won. Football Lost.
This was not a game for neutrals.
Both managers set up to not lose rather than to win. Compact defensive shapes, midfield battles that went nowhere, half-chances that neither side could convert. The intensity was there from the crowd. The quality was not always there on the pitch.
PAOK had Andrija Živković pulling strings from midfield — his eight assists this season are the most at the club. He found pockets, tried to make things happen. On another night, in another game, he probably scores or creates. Not here.
Olympiacos came with their away structure and kept it tight. They have not lost any of their last 14 away games across all competitions. That run is built on exactly this kind of performance — disciplined, hard to break down, carrying a threat on the counter without always using it.
El Kaabi, who leads Olympiacos’ attack, had moments. Nothing clean enough to test the PAOK goalkeeper properly. Christodoulos Kousas was rarely tested but was alert when needed.
PAOK’s Home Record Is Still Remarkable
Eleven home wins, three draws, zero losses in the Super League this season. PAOK simply do not lose at Toumba. That record has been built against every team in Greece — except this one.
Against Olympiacos, even at home, it is different. The 0-0 here continued a recent pattern where these two cancel each other out completely. Four meetings, four goalless halves minimum, no side willing to gamble.
One of those draws came in March 2026 when they cancelled each other out in a goalless stalemate. This fixture produced the same. Whether that changes in the return leg at Karaiskakis remains to be seen.
The Bigger Picture
AEK sit top. Olympiacos are second. PAOK are third. The gap between second and third is three points. The gap between first and third is wider but not impossible.
PAOK were thrashed 3-0 away to AEK Athens in their previous game — that result hurt. A win here would have put real pressure on Olympiacos. Instead, nothing changed.
PAOK have won just one of their last six competitive games. Three losses in that run. A team that looked like genuine title contenders in January is now fighting to hold onto third place and European qualification. The form has collapsed at the worst time.
Olympiacos, meanwhile, are not comfortable either. They have won just one of the last five head-to-head games against PAOK. Second place is theirs for now. But AEK are pulling away. The title looks like it is heading to Athens, not Thessaloniki, not Piraeus.
Both clubs know what is left. A few games to seal positions, secure European spots, and set up for next season. The title race has its own momentum now.
For more Super League and European football coverage visit FawaNews football. Full Greek Super League standings and fixtures at the official Super League Greece website.
PAOK 0-0 Olympiacos Super League Championship Play-Off | Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki
Goals: None Bookings: TBC
PAOK: Kousas | Lyratzis, Ingason, Crespo | Živković, Kurtic, Ozdoyev, Despodov | El Kaddouri | (full lineup TBC) Olympiacos: Tzolakis | Costinha, Retsos, Pirola | Chiquinho, García, Hézze, Rodinei | Martins, El Kaabi | (full lineup TBC)
Table: AEK 1st | Olympiacos 2nd (61 pts) | PAOK 3rd (58 pts)
