Prediction: Panathinaikos to win 2-0
Best Odds: 11/2
Bookmaker: Zetbet
Panathinaikos and Samsunspor will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Europa League qualifying this week. The first leg of the playoff round tie between the Super League Greece club and the Turkish Super Lig outfit will be held at the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium and is scheduled to kick off at 7pm UK time on Thursday.
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos are a Greek giant and are one of the biggest and most well-known clubs in the country. Panathinaikos are one of three clubs that have never been relegated from the Greek top division, while winning the title as many as 20 times and the Greek Cup on 20 occasions, too.
The Greens are used to playing in the UEFA Champions League, but they finished second in the Super League Greece last season and were knocked out by Scottish Premiership giants Rangers in the Champions League qualifying.
Panathinaikos got the better of Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League and will head into the playoff tie as favourites. The Greek giants, though, need to win the first leg at home by a healthy margin in order to avoid an upset.
Team News:
Panathinaikos are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Samsunspor. Dragowski will be in goal for the Greek club and will have Kotsiras, Palmer-Brown, Touba and Kyriakopoulous in front of him in defence. Chirivella and Gnezda Cerin will be the two holding midfielders. Tete, Maksimovic and Pellistri will be the three attacking midfielders. Swiderski will lead the line for Panathinaikos.
Samsunspor
Samsunspor are a modest club in Turkey who are not expected to win the Turkish Super Lig or even challenge for the title. In fact, they got relegated from the top flight at the end of the 2011-12 season and could only return at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
The Red Lightning ended up as low as 13th in the Turkish Super Lig in the 2023-24 season and finished as high as third in the table in the 2024-25 campaign. It came as a huge surprise, especially as they ended up two points above fourth-placed Besiktas.
Samsunspor are now on the verge of qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. Winning against Panathinaikos is not going to be easy for the Turkish club, but things could get interesting if they are able to win the first leg in Greece.
Team News:
Samsunspor are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Panathinaikos. Kocuk will be in goal for the Turkish Super Lig club and will have Yavru, Satka, Van Drongelen and Tomasson in front of him in defence. Yuksel and Ntcham will be the two holding midfielders. Dimata, Holse and Kilinc will be the three attacking midfielders. Mouandilmadji will lead the line for Samsunspor.
Key Factors to Consider
- Panathinaikos have lost 2 of their 5 last games.
- Panathinaikos have drawn 3 of their last 5 games.
- Panathinaikos have scored 5 goals in their last 5 games.
- Samsunspor have won 4 of their last 5 matches.
- Samsunspor have drawn 1 of their last 5 matches.
Conclusion
While Samsunspor have a good team, Panathinaikos are better and have more experience at the European level and should be able to win the first leg.
Prediction: Panathinaikos to win 2-0
Best Odds: 11/2
Bookmaker: Zetbet