Our betting expert believes that playing in the comforts of home could spur on Panathinaikos, but overturning the deficit may be too much of an ask.
Best bets for Panathinaikos vs Rangers
Panathinaikos and Rangers should draw 1-1.
Our analysis: Form of both teams
It’s been a largely inconsistent pre-season for the Greek side. They’ve won just two of their five outings, with two losses and one draw. Their first competitive game of the new season saw them suffer a defeat to Rangers in the first leg last week.
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Rui Vitoria's side have no reason to be unhappy with that 2-0 defeat as they were clearly second-best on the day. With just 25% possession at one point in the game, it was always going to be a tough night out for the Shamrocks.
However, they hope to turn their fortunes around in front of their home fans at Athens’ Olympic Stadium this week. Having said that, they have a mountain to climb just to push the tie into extra time.
Rangers travel to Greece feeling more confident, boosted by a friendly match against Middlesbrough on Saturday. That one ended in a 2-2 draw, but it was more about improving the team’s match fitness than the result itself.
Probable lineups for Panathinaikos vs Rangers
Panathinaikos expected lineup: Dragowski; Jedvaj, Palmer-Brown, Touba, Kyriakopoulos; Chirivella, Maksimovic; Pellestri, Duricic, Mancini; Ioannidis
Rangers expected lineup: Butland; Tavernier, Djiga, Souttar, Aarons; Diomande, Rothwell, Raskin; Gassama, Danilo, Curtis
Panathinaikos’ hope clashes with Rangers’ worries
Playing in front of their home crowd should give Panathinaikos a slight boost. Rui Vitoria has likely criticised his players after that Ibrox match, which could see them come out firing on Wednesday night.
This potential home advantage is reflected in markets across online betting sites, where Panathinaikos enjoy shorter odds than they did at Ibrox.
It’s worth noting that the hosts have opened the scoring in five of their last six competitive matches on home soil. That should offer some hope for the Shamrock fans, as an early goal is just what they need to unsettle the visitors and challenge their comfortable 2-0 lead.
The Gers might have some reason for concern here as they’ve conceded the first goal in three of their last five away dates, excluding their pre-season friendlies.
- Panathinaikos vs Rangers Betting Tip 1: First goal - Panathinaikos 1.59 on 1xBet
Encouragement for both sides
Both teams have scored in three of Panathinaikos’ last four competitive home matches. Similarly, four of Rangers’ last five outings produced the same outcome.
Although this fixture hasn’t typically been high-scoring, three of their last five head-to-heads have featured goals from the Greek and Scottish outfits. This is an encouraging sign for both teams going into Wednesday night.
Rangers conceding twice over the weekend gives Panathinaikos some hope, as they need goals to take the tie into extra time, provided they don’t concede. However, considering they shipped at least one goal in four of their last five outings, it’s unlikely they’ll keep the Gers at bay.
- Panathinaikos vs Rangers Betting Tip 2: BTTS - Yes 1.74 on1xBet
Tough trip ahead for Rangers
Home advantage could play a role here, but to a certain extent. Last week’s performance showed that the Glaswegians are a better side and are quickly adapting to their new manager’s tactics.
That’s evident in the fact that they’re yet to taste defeat under Russel Martin’s guidance. However, some weaknesses were exposed against Middlesbrough last week, and the hosts will be eager to exploit them.
The Scottish side’s away record of three draws and one loss in their last four is a clear sign they tend to struggle on the road. Still, they could be resilient enough to avoid defeat here.
Considering three of their last five head-to-heads have ended all square, there is a real possibility this second leg will end the same.
- Panathinaikos vs Rangers Betting Tip 3: 1x2 - Draw 3.95 on1xBet