Starting in the 3rd qualifying round, the team had a sluggish start in the qualifying rounds, barely scraping by against Irish side Bohemians after a shock 2–1 defeat against them at the Aviva Stadium, by narrowly winning the return leg 2–0 at Toumba Stadium. Răzvan Lucescu, the much revered PAOK manager who led the team to the Double in 2018–19 and had major success with Al–Hilal, along with his assistant Cristiano Bacci, returned to the club in the pre–season, but the struggle against Bohemians was met with intense criticism and backlash. A last minute own–goal by Niko Galešić gave PAOK a 1–1 draw at home against Croatian club Rijeka, which was met with more criticism, with many fearing that the team was not capable of advancing to the group stage of the new competition. Contrary to the first match at home, PAOK won 0–2 at Stadion Rujevica and managed to advance to the group stage.
Coincing with the team's initial boost and then slump in form in the league, PAOK had an unspectacular group stage phase but had a bright spot in the 1–2 away win over eventual group toppers Copenhagen. In spite of the team not performing too well in the group stage, the 11 points accumulated were enough to hoist the team above Slovan Bratislava (who deprived PAOK of a Europa League group stage spot two years earlier) and advance the team to the Knockout round play–offs as the second placed team in the group. After the group stage ended, PAOK managed to undo the November slump in the league and would go on an unbeaten streak that would stretch until the end of the league's regular season, earning plaudits for Lucescu and Bacci.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Source: Superleague Greece Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Play-offs (neutral ground). (Note: Criteria 6 is only used if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).
Source: Super League Greece, Soccerway Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points (Regular season and play-off); 3) Head-to-head goal difference (Regular season and play-off); 4) Regular season position.[46] (C) Champions Notes:
