Greek champions PAOK FC have confirmed that striker Aleksandar Prijovic took part in training with the first team on Monday and could be in line to mark his return to action against Chelsea on Thursday in the Europa League.
The Serbian suffered a first degree hamstring strain during training last week and did not feature during PAOK’s 3-1 win over OFI Crete in the Greek Superleague on Saturday.
The 28-year-old was expected to be sidelined for seven to ten days after an MRI scan on Wednesday, but the club have now confirmed that he took part in most training sessions on Monday ahead of PAOK’s Europa League opener against Chelsea.
Prijovic, who joined the Greek champions from Legia Warsaw in January 2017, is a central figure at the club and netted four times during their unsuccessful Champions League qualification rounds earlier this season.
The news will come as a huge relief to Nikos Papadopoulos, who has to decide if he is ready to return and help PAOK start their European campaign with a positive result at home to the Premier League giants.
“Good news for PAOK as striker Aleksandr Prijovic took part in most of the training session today for the first time since being injured and is in line for a return”, a statement on the club’s official website read.
Prijovic turned out for the likes of Derby County, Yeovil Town and Northampton Town in England during the early stages of his career.
PAOK have returned to the Europa League after their absence last year due to the playoff round loss against FK Ostersunds from Sweden.
