Aberdeen FC told tame Pittodrie is no cauldron as PAOK guaranteed Euro rivals not the same size as Hearts

Current Ayr United goalkeeping coach Dimitrios Konstantopoulos is certain PAOK will cruise past Aberdeen in both of their games in Europe.

And the ex-keeper believes his countrymen have a huge advantage because there is a better atmosphere at their infamous 'Black Hell' Toumba Stadium home ground than either Pittodrie or Tynecastle, where they defeated Hearts earlier this season. The Dons face high-flying PAOK in the first of a double-header in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night. They have one point so far after a narrow defeat in Germany to Eintracht Frankfurt and a Pittodrie draw against HJK Helsinki earlier this month.

And Somerset Park coach Konstantopoulos, who also played for Nottingham Forest, AEK Athens and Coventry City, has little doubt PAOK will prove too strong for Aberdeen, just as they did against Hearts in the play-off round. He said: "I would say that Aberdeen and Hearts are, more or less, at the same level. I have the impression, though, that Hearts as a whole are a bigger footballing force, they have a better home ground and they have more home fans.

"PAOK, however, are superior as a team to both Hearts and Aberdeen. If PAOK had to face Celtic or Rangers, of course, their task would be much more difficult, as both of these teams are much better in quality than the other Scottish teams. You could say that Aberdeen's home ground is one of their trump cards. However, while this is true for the games they play in domestic competitions, in Europe the situation changes.

"You can't compare the atmosphere in Toumba with Aberdeen's stadium. At Toumba, the opposition fears the ground so PAOK have another advantage over Aberdeen there too. PAOK's players will have nothing to fear from Aberdeen's home