Panathinaikos v Chelsea – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Panathinaikos face Chelsea in the Europa Conference League on Thursday. The Greek club drew their opening match in this competition, while the Blues defeated Gent 4-2 at home. Enzo Maresca’s side has gone four matches without a clean sheet and is expected to make 11 changes to their lineup for this match.

Panathinaikos Form

Panathinaikos finished fourth in the Greek Super League last season and lifted the Greek Cup in May. They have won three of their eight league matches this season, scoring just seven goals. After losing to Ajax in a Europa League playoff in August, they beat Lens to reach the Conference League group stage.

Following a run of one win in four league matches, including a 2-0 defeat to AEK Athens, they drew their opening Conference League match. A 1-1 draw in Bosnia and Herzegovina was followed by a hard-fought 0-0 draw at home against Olympiakos before beating OFI Crete 1-0 away on Sunday.

Panathinaikos Team News

Coach Diego Alonso is expected to start Marseille loanee Azzedine Ounahi in central midfield. German left-back Philipp Max is an injury doubt, as is striker Fotis Ioannidis, who scored 23 goals last season.

Brazilian right winger Tetê, formerly of Leicester City, has scored five goals this season and is a key player. Manchester United loanee Facundo Pellistri is set to be used as an impact substitute.

Panathinaikos Motivation

This is a huge match in Athens, and the hosts will be highly motivated with the support of a strong home crowd.

Panathinaikos will aim for a win here and try to put pressure on Chelsea with a high-intensity style of play.

Chelsea Form

Chelsea lost 2-1 at Liverpool on Sunday despite having 58% possession. They had been on a decent run before that. A fortunate 1-0 win at Bournemouth came after their opponents missed a penalty, but their 3-0 win at West Ham a week later was a dominant performance. They followed that with a 5-0 win over Barrow in the Carabao Cup.

The Blues beat Brighton 4-2 at home, with Cole Palmer scoring all the goals, before defeating Gent 4-2 at home in the Europa Conference League. A somewhat disappointing 1-1 home draw with Nottingham Forest followed, despite having 66% possession, 2.46 expected goals, and 22 shots.

Chelsea Team News

Enzo Maresca is expected to make 11 changes to his lineup for this match. Axel Disasi, Benoît Badiashile, and Renato Veiga are expected to feature in defense. Marc Cucurella is available after suspension but is likely to be on the bench.

Wesley Fofana, Roméo Lavia, and Cole Palmer have not been registered for this competition. Christopher Nkunku is set to lead the attack, with João Félix in support.

Chelsea Motivation

Chelsea have been performing well on their travels in the league. They will be playing for the win in Greece and will not view a draw as a good result.

With many changes to the starting XI, motivation should be high for several players eager to impress the coach.

Key Stats

Panathinaikos have lost just 1 of their last 9 matches (4 wins, 4 draws).

Panathinaikos have scored only 2 goals in their last 4 matches.

Chelsea have scored 19 goals in their last 8 matches (all competitions).

Chelsea have won 5 of their last 6 away league matches.

Chelsea’s Nkunku has scored 7 goals this season in 444 minutes (averaging 63 minutes per goal).

Verdict

Despite likely fielding a second-string XI, Chelsea are clear favorites here. Betting on Chelsea to win with a -1 handicap and exploring the goalscorer market could be profitable options.

Best Bet: Chelsea to win (-1 handicap) at 2.30.

Value Bet: Chelsea to win to nil at 2.70.

Goalscorer Tip: Nkunku to score anytime at 2.40 or Neto to score anytime at 3.30.