Prediction: Panathinaikos to win by a three-goal margin
Best Odds: 77/50
Panathinaikos and Botev Plovdiv will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round this week. The first leg of the tie between the Super League Greece club and the Bulgarian First Professional Football League side will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Athens and is scheduled to kick off at 7 pm UK time on Thursday.
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos are one of the biggest clubs in Greece and one of the most successful as well. The Greens have won the Greek Super League as many as 20 times, although they last clinched the title back in 2009-10. They also have won the Green Super Cup on three occasions and reached the final of the European Cup in 1971.
Greek giants Panathinaikos finished first in Greek Super League table in the 2022-23 season and then ended up fourth in the 2023-24 campaign. Under manager Diego Alonso, The Shamrock will be determined to become the champions of Greece next season.
Panathinaikos have been busy in the summer transfer window. Sverrir Ingi Ingason, George Baldock and Nemanja Maksimovic have joined The Greens. Panathinaikos made the group stage of the UEFA Europa League last season, but failed to make an impact. They managed to pick up only four points from six matches against Rennes, Villarreal and Maccabi Haifa.
Team News:
Panathinaikos are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Dragowski will be in goal for the home team and will have Kotsiras, Jedvaj, Schenkeveld and Mladenovic in front of him in defence. Makismovic and Vilhena will be the two holding midfielders. Mancini, Bakasetas and Djuricic will be deployed in attacking midfield. Jeremejeff will lead the line for Panathinaikos.
Botev Plovdiv
Botev Plovdiv are a modest club in Bulgaria. The Canaries was founded in 1912 and is the country’s oldest active football club. They have not been hugely successful, though. Plovdiv have won the First Professional Football League title only twice and the Bulgarian Cup on four occasions in their history.
The Yellow-Blacks ended up as low as ninth in the 2023–24 First Professional Football League table last season. They won the Bulgarian Cup last season, which is why they are in with a chance of progressing to the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.
Botev have have not made the main stages of a European competition since reaching the Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals back in the 1962-63 campaign. They lost 2-0 2-0 on aggregate to APOEL in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round in 2022-23.
Team News:
Botev Plovdiv are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Igonen will be in goal for the visiting team. Ukaki, Tamm, Conte and Yordanov will be the four defenders. Karabelyov and Korosec will be deployed in defensive midfield. Nwachukwu, Popov and Iliev will be deployed in attacking midfield. Ujah will lead the line for Dušan Kerkez’s side.
Key Factors to Consider
- Panathinaikos did not lose any of their 5 pre-season games.
- Panathinaikos hammered SV Union Haus 14-0 in a pre-season friendly match in June.
- Panathinaikos won the Greek Cup last season.
- Botev Plovdiv have lost 2 of their last 4 matches away from home since May.
- Botev Plovdiv have won 1 of their last 4 matches away from home since May.
Conclusion
Panathinaikos are used to playing in major European competitions and will be huge favourites to win against Botev Plovdiv. It is very likely that the Greek giants will register a comfortable win.
Prediction: Panathinaikos to win by a three-goal margin
Best Odds: 77/50
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