Greek football club PAOK Thessaloniki will be without winger Andrija Zivkovic for their UEFA Conference League second-leg match against Norwegian side SK Brann in Bergen after UEFA rejected the club's appeal against a two-match ban.
European football governing body UEFA confirmed the decision to uphold the suspension on Tuesday, ruling the Serbian international out of Thursday's fixture in Norway.
PAOK continued their preparations on Tuesday afternoon with a training session at the Nea Mesimvria Sports Centre in Thessaloniki. Midfielder Soualiho Meïté and player Sarris followed treatment programs, while winger Kiril Despodov completed individual work that included running drills on the pitch.
Travel plans and stadium schedule
The Greek squad will depart from Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport on Wednesday morning on a charter flight bound for Bergen. Upon arrival in Norway, head coach Alessio Lisci and player Christos Zafeiris are scheduled to address reporters at a press conference inside the Brann Stadion press room at 6:30 pm local time.
PAOK will hold their final training session at Brann Stadion at 7:00 pm local time on Wednesday evening. Representatives from the news media will be permitted to observe the first 15 minutes of the session.
SK Brann preparation timetable
SK Brann have arranged their own pre-match schedule for Wednesday ahead of the European clash. The Norwegian team will train at their sports center at 10:30 am local time, with the initial 15 minutes open to members of the press.
Brann manager Eirik Horneland and one of his players will host their pre-match press conference at 1:30 pm local time in the Brann Stadion press room.
Background on the clubs and competition
PAOK FC, based in Thessaloniki, are one of the most prominent football clubs in Greece and regularly compete in European tournaments. SK Brann, based in Norway's second-largest city of Bergen, play their home matches at Brann Stadion. The UEFA Conference League serves as Europe's third-tier annual club football competition.
