[Intime]
Olympiakos managed to finish in the top eight of the Europa League with its home win over Qarabag on Thursday, while PAOK could do no better than lose at Real Sociedad, but is still in the top-24 of the final table of the league phase.
The Reds have therefore qualified straight to the last 16 of the competition and will sit out the playoffs, waiting for the next stage. PAOK, on the other hand, will find out on Friday who will be its opponent in the intermediate phase to be contested next month.
On Thursday Olympiakos ended up seventh with 15 points from eight games, having just downed Qarabag from Azerbaijan 3-0 at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.
The Piraeus team scored twice within four minutes, on the 56th and the 60th, with Ayoub El Kaabi, and added a third from Giulian Biancone on the 89th.
PAOK finished 22nd with 10 points, after losing 2-0 at San Sebastian, as it was unable to translate its chances into goals.
The Basques led with Orri Oskarsson two minutes before half-time. The striker from Iceland had a goal disallowed a little later, but three minutes into the second half he struck again for La Real.
PAOK will now face Steaua Bucharest or Ajax Amsterdam in the February playoffs, with the draw deciding it to take place on Friday afternoon at Nyon in Switzerland.