Following a few very rough years, Panathinaikos is back in the Champions League this season and will start the action Tuesday with a qualifier against Dnipro from Ukraine.
Will the Greek giant enjoy a winning return? Bookmaker 10bet has the odds at 2.10 for Panathinaikos to win. The odds are at 3.30 for a Dnipro victory and at 3.10 for a draw in the match played in Kosice, Slovakia.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 24th, 6:30 P.M. (EST)
Panathinaikos last featured in the Champions League in 2015-16, losing to Club Brugge in the third qualifying round. The 20-time Greek champion hasn’t made it into the group stage since the 2010-11 campaign so getting through the qualifiers this summer would be a special achievement for the club.
Last season, Panathinaikos managed to win the Greek Super League after a five-year spell during which the team couldn’t even make it into the top three. Serbian manager Ivan Jovanovic has worked miracles with the side and it remains to be seen if Panathinaikos is also again ready to compete on the biggest stage of European football.
Under Jovanovic, Panathinaikos had a very stringy defense last season and the attacking players shared around the goals well. Spanish forward Aitor Cantalapiedra looked set to have an exceptional campaign before suffering a nasty knee injury, recording eight goals and two assists in nine league games, and he’s going to be almost like a new signing for Panathinaikos in 2023-24.
Dnipro will be getting its first taste of Champions League football. In fact, it’s only the second European campaign for the club that was founded only recently in 2015. Dnipro’s debut campaign ended in the Conference League knockout phase last year.
The side from Eastern Ukraine is hugely reliant on target man Artem Dovbyk. The 26-year-old had a fabulous campaign in 2022-23, scoring a league-high 23 goals in the Ukrainian top flight. He’s a big presence in the penalty area and the Panathinaikos defenders will need to be up for a physical battle against Dovbyk.
Another big threat for Jovanovic’s men will be Oleksandr Pikhalyonok’s scoring ability and creativity. He netted six times in the league last season for Dnipro and registered 13 assists in 30 outings.
Dnipro is seen as the underdog in the match-up, but manager Oleksandr Kucher has some very good tools at his disposal and Panathinaikos will definitely have to work hard Tuesday to earn a positive result.
