Prediction: Ajax vs Panathinaikos

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Olympusbet

Holding a one-goal advantage from the first leg, Ajax will host Panathinaikos in Amsterdam on Thursday, seeking to secure their spot in the Europa League play-offs.

The Dutch side took control of the third qualifying round tie with their win in Greece and are enjoying a strong start to the new season.

Ajax

After surviving a few close calls, Ajax secured a narrow victory in Athens last week, with Steven Berghuis’s first-half goal proving decisive. That slender 1-0 win gives them a slight edge heading into Thursday’s return leg at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Ajax continued their positive form with another 1-0 victory, this time against Heerenveen in their Eredivisie opener, marking a solid start to life under new coach Francesco Farioli. Remarkably, for just the second time in over two decades, Ajax have opened a season with four straight wins, extending their run to eight consecutive victories, including pre-season matches.

Farioli, who joined from Nice, was brought in to rebuild after a turbulent 2023/24 campaign, during which the once-dominant club slumped to a fifth-place finish. Now, after comfortably overcoming Vojvodina 4-1 on aggregate in the second round, Ajax are the clear favorites to advance to the Europa League play-offs, where they could face either Bodo/Glimt or Jagiellonia Bialystok.

Team News

After returning from his post-Euros break, Brian Brobbey rejoined the Ajax squad last week, though Chuba Akpom has been leading the line and is likely to retain his place in the starting XI.

In Athens, Steven Berghuis filled in for the injured Christian Rasmussen and scored the winning goal, assisted by Kian Fitz-Jim. Both Berghuis and Fitz-Jim are expected to feature in Francesco Farioli’s lineup once again.

At 40 years and 277 days old, Remko Pasveer became the first 40-year-old to play an Eredivisie match for Ajax over the weekend. With Geronimo Rulli still on leave after competing at the Olympics, Pasveer is set to continue in goal.

Steven Bergwijn, who missed the first leg and Sunday’s league match due to suspension, is expected to be available this time around.

Panathinaikos

Ajax are, of course, four-time European champions, last winning the Champions League in 1995, But Panathinaikos are still in search of their first continental title, and it was Ajax who denied them European glory in the 1971 European Cup final.

Panathinaikos now face the challenge of overturning a first-leg deficit if they are to gain a measure of revenge. Their home leg was filled with frustrations, including an Anastasios Bakasetas shot that struck the crossbar, a disallowed goal for offside, and a missed opportunity from Swedish striker Alexander Jeremejeff just before the break.

Under the guidance of former Sevilla boss Diego Alonso, who succeeded Fatih Terim, the Greens are looking to revive their fortunes. Last season, Panathinaikos finished fourth in the Greek Super League and exited the Europa League at the group stage.

Alonso led them to an emphatic 6-1 win over Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv in the second qualifying round, setting high expectations. However, failure to overturn their deficit in the Netherlands would see them drop into the Conference League play-offs instead.

Team News

Panathinaikos have had the advantage of a full week of preparation, as the Greek Super League has not yet begun its 2024-25 season.

As a result, Diego Alonso could opt for a largely unchanged lineup from the first leg. Adam Gnezda Cerin is expected to play a pivotal role in midfield, while Alexander Jeremejeff will likely lead the attack once again.

Jeremejeff has already netted three goals during Europa League qualifying and has started every game so far, meaning that Andraz Sporar, Gnezda Cerin’s international teammate, will likely remain on the bench.

Conclusion

With nothing to lose, Panathinaikos will have to open up and attack in Amsterdam, but that could only make the task of preserving (and increasing) the advantage easier for the home side. Ajax shouldn’t have too many problems holding off the Greeks to secure another, probably more convincing, win.

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Olympusbet