2026-2027 Pre Season Training News and Games

[Blackhawk]

Our pre-season training will once again take place in the land of Dutch Eagle. Apparently we will use the same facilities we did last summer.

The dates mentioned are June 19 - July 13, 2026, which means the team will return to Thessaloniki approximately 10 days before our first Europa league match.

[Dutch Eagle]

Apparently Panathinaïkos tried to get us kicked out of the hotel and playing grounds as their choice did not meet their standards and ours were/are much better. The brave Dutch declined.

[Blackhawk]

It was announced that the first training session of the new season will be on June 22, 2026.

The following youngsters will be joining the rest of the players for this pre-season trainig: Dimitris Berdos, Dimitris Bataoulas, Giannis Sarris, Bedri Dounga, and Giannis Kosidis.

[Blackhawk]

The main pre-season training will take place at the Nino Sparta Training Center at Zaltbommel between June 29 - July 12.

Four pre-season games will take place during that period:

01-July: tba
04-July: PAOK - Westerlo FC  (Nino Sparta, Zaltbommel)
07-July: PAOK - AEK Larnaca  (Nino Sparta, Zaltbommel)
11-July: tba 

[Blackhawk]

The team's first practice took place today and was conducted with our new coach.

Our two World Cup players Baba and Sanchez were absent. Also absent were Zivkovic, Zafeiris and Gugesasvili who will join the team on June 25.

Thymianis, Camara, and Michailidis practiced individually, while Despodov and Meite underwent physical therapies.

All the players that were on loan last season where also present at the practice, including Chalov, Lyratzis, Shoretire, and Gomez.

The following players from the U19 and the 'B' team also took part in today's practice:

Avrabos (CB), Apetenok (CB), Dunga (LB), Kosidis (RB), Sarris (DM) , Kottas (CB), Bataoulas (CB), Tsopouroglou (CM), Balde (LW),  Berdos (LW)

 

[Blackhawk]

The pre-season games are almost set. The first 3 are confirmed, while the last one is not officially confirmed yet.

01-July, 17:00 EEST: PAOK - SK Beveren
04-July: PAOK - Westerlo FC  (Nino Sparta, Zaltbommel)
07-July: PAOK - AEK Larnaca  (Nino Sparta, Zaltbommel)
11-July:  PAOK - Twente Enschede

[Blackhawk]

All our pre-season games will be televised on OPEN TV.

[Blackhawk]

Zivkovic, Zafeiris and Gugesasvili rejoined the team and took part in today's practices.

[Blackhawk]

Our final pre-season games schedule is as follows:

01-July, 18:00 EEST: PAOK - SK Beveren  (Nino Sparta, Zaltbommel)
04-July, 15:30 EEST: PAOK - KVC Westerlo  (Nino Sparta, Zaltbommel)
07-July, 19:00 EEST: PAOK - AEK Larnaca  (Nino Sparta, Zaltbommel)
11-July, 14:00 EEST:  PAOK - Twente Enschede  (GAME 1) (Sportpark de Rode Veste, Huissen)
11-July, 17:00 EEST:  PAOK - Twente Enschede  (GAME 2) (Sportpark de Rode Veste, Huissen)

All games will be televised on the OPEN TV Hybrid channel.

[pash]

Twente's a pretty good team but was hoping for some stronger opponents at the beginning (regardless of how 'meaningless' these games are). I wonder if any of these will be played as 120-minute games like in previous years.

[pash]

Meite appears to still be carrying an injury from last summer. Does this mean we'll actually play Camara, who is a vastly superior player?

Michailidis is also spending at least some of the sessions training separately. Undisclosed injury as well?

[Blackhawk]

22 hours ago, pash said:

Twente's a pretty good team but was hoping for some stronger opponents at the beginning (regardless of how 'meaningless' these games are). I wonder if any of these will be played as 120-minute games like in previous years.

The first 3 games are regular 90-minute games, and so are the last 2, but those will take place on the same day 3-hours apart.

[Blackhawk]

6 hours ago, pash said:

Meite appears to still be carrying an injury from last summer. Does this mean we'll actually play Camara, who is a vastly superior player?

Michailidis is also spending at least some of the sessions training separately. Undisclosed injury as well?

Meite has sciatic nerve issue. He had the option of having a surgery right after the end of the season, but decided not to do it. It also did not help that Lucescu played him non-stop without any breaks. In any case I don't see him seeing any action until August/September.

Michailidis has a chronic problem with his knee, which requires fluid drainage on regular basis. He just finished one of those procedures and is slowly getting back into action.

The other two injured players are Despodov and Shoretirre.

Also sitting the last couple practices is Pavlenka.