Panathinaikos vs. Chelsea: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

When Chelsea travels to Greece to play Panathinaikos at Olympiakos Stadio Spyros Louis on Thursday evening, they'll aim to make two wins out of two in the 2024-25 Conference League.

Three weeks ago, in the first league phase match, the Blues defeated Gent 4-2 at Stamford Bridge. In contrast, the Greens played to a 1-1 tie with Borac Banja Luka of Bosnia.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Last Saturday, Chelsea were defeated 2-1 at Anfield by league leaders Liverpool. This occurred after they had accumulated 14 points during a six-game undefeated streak in the Premier League from the end of August to the beginning of October.

After Mohamed Salah scored a penalty in the first half, Nicolas Jackson pulled Chelsea level early in the second half. However, Liverpool quickly retook the lead, and Curtis Jones scored the game-winning goal to hand Chelsea their first league loss on the road this season.

But Italian head coach Enzo Maresca was pleased with many aspects of his team's performance, calling it "one of the best of the season. " He has maintained that his squad is moving in the "right direction."

Chelsea, now in sixth place in the Premier League and trailing only the top four teams by three points, will soon be preparing for matches against Manchester United and Newcastle United. However, they must return to the Conference League and face Panathinaikos in their first-ever encounter.

Chelsea have an undefeated record against Greek teams in European competition, with four wins and two draws. However, both of those draws occurred on Greek soil: in the 2007–08 Champions League last 16 against Olympiacos and in the 1970–71 Cup Winners' Cup, when the score was 1-1.

The Greek Super League team Panathinaikos won their first match since the death of 31-year-old George Baldock earlier this month, ending a losing streak of three games with a 1-0 road victory against OFI.

A goal scored by Brazilian winger Tete in the sixth minute gave the Greens an emotional and hard-fought victory dedicated to Baldock. With this win, the Greens moved to sixth place in the table, five points behind joint-leaders Aris Thessaloniki and PAOK, after eight games. They had previously jumped OFI into sixth place.

Diego Alonso's squad will be looking forward to Sunday's home league match against Aris. Still, they face a tricky Europa League matchup with Chelsea this week, perhaps Diego Alonso's most challenging opponent this season.

With only five losses in twenty-three home matches in 2024 and a four-game unbeaten streak at Olympiakos Stadio Spyros Louis, Panathinaikos will be looking forward to Thursday's match in front of their fans. Their most recent match was a 0-0 draw with Olympiacos, the reigning Conference League champions in the Greek Super League, played just over three weeks ago.

Unfortunately, they have a dismal record when competing against English teams in European play, having won just one of their last eighteen games (with six draws and eleven losses). In the 2012–13 Europa League group stage, they lost 3–1 away to Tottenham Hotspur, their last encounter with an English team. Two months earlier, they had held Spurs to a 1–1 home draw.

Panathinaikos x Chelsea Team News

Due to injuries sustained by their abductors, Panathinaikos captain Fotis Ioannidis will miss the next match. Additionally, Zeca, Dimitris Limnios, and Tonny Vilhena are not allowed to play as they were not selected for the club's Conference League team.

Former Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri, Anastasios Bakasetas, and Filip Duricic might start up front with Alexander Jeremejeff in the starting lineup instead of the unwell Andraz Sporar.

The starting lineup for the Polish national team could include goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski, three defenders (Giannis Kotsiras, Tin Jedvaj, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, and Filip Mladenovic), and one central midfielder (Adam Gnezda Cerin, Nemanja Maksimovic, Willian Arao, or Azzedine Ounahi).

Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen will be evaluated before the start on Thursday in the hopes that he will recover from a head injury in time to play. Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, and Wesley Fofana will not be participating for Chelsea since they were not selected for the Conference League team.

Captain Reece James, who returned to action against Liverpool after an extended injury layoff, will see more playing time under Maresca's tutelage. The Englishman may be replaced at right back by either Axel Disasi or Malo Gusto.

On Thursday, Chelsea could start Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku, who both scored in the win over Gent. Other players vying for starting roles include Joao Felix, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Cesare Casadei, who are in the middle of the field.

Our Predictions

Chelsea to win @ 1.56 on Sky247.ng

Despite Maresca likely making a few changes to his starting lineup for Thursday's match, Chelsea will still be considered heavy favourites to win. Even though the West Londoners know Panathinaikos is no pushover, we still have the Premier League team winning in Greece.

Elevate your betting experience with SKY247 Nigeria. Join now and discover a thrilling world of sports, live events, and exclusive bonuses. Bet with confidence on your favourite teams and games.