Panathinaikos vs Real Betis Prediction: Get set for goals at Olympic Stadium of Athens

Panathinaikos overcame Viktoria Plzen on penalties in their Uefa Europa League knockout phase play-off tie last month to set up a last-16 encounter with Real Betis, the first leg of which takes place at the Olympic Stadium of Athens this Thursday (17:45 GMT, TNT Sports 5).

Below are my Panathinaikos vs Real Betis predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

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Team News

Ahmed Touba, Anastasios Bakasetas and Javi Hernandez all miss out for Panathinaikos on Thursday due to suspension, while injury prevents Cyriel Dessers (thigh), Manolis Siopis, Giannis Kotsiras (both muscle), Erik Palmer-Brown (ankle), Sverrir Ingason, Georgios Kyriopoulos (both knee) and Pedro Chirivella (calf) from featuring for Rafael Benitez’s side.

Football Odds

As for Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis, Isco, Sofyan Ambrabat (both ankle) and Giovani Lo Celso (muscle) are all ruled out.

Panathinaikos vs Real Betis Odds

Panathinaikos are 13/5, or a 27.8% chance, to take a first-leg lead to Spain next week, while Real Betis are 21/20 to triumph, implying a 48.8% probability of success, with the draw offered at 11/5.

Bet Builder - Georgios Kyriakopoulos (PAN) 2+ Shots & Nelson Deossa (BET) 2+ Tackles @ 6/4

Including qualifiers, Panathinaikos wing-back Georgios Kyriakopoulos had made 12 appearances in this season’s Europa League, scoring once and providing two assists.

The 30-year-old, who moved back to his homeland last summer after a seven-season stay in Italy, where he took in spells at Sassuolo, Bologna and Monza, hasn’t been shy to shoot in Europe, averaging 1.5 shots per 90 minutes.

Only Tete (28), Karol Swiderski (23) and Bakasetas (20) have recorded more shots in the Europa League for Panathinaikos this season than Kyriakopoulos (17), who tried his luck twice in the Shamrock’s 2-2 draw at home to Plzen in the first leg of their knockout phase play-off tie last month. The Greece international then shot twice in the return fixture in the Czech Republic, once in regulation time, and once in extra time of their 1-1 stalemate.

Today's Football Fixtures

Kyriakopoulos has registered at least two shots in four of his seven starts (excluding extra time) across the league phase and knockout phase of this season’s competition, while he warmed up for Thursday’s game with a goal in his side’s 4-1 Greek Super League win at Levadiakos last Sunday, so he should be in a confident mood ahead of the visit of Betis.

I’m also adding in at least two tackles for Betis midfielder Nelson Deossa, who has recorded 10 tackles across his last four Europa League outings, managing at least two in three of those, including three in a 2-1 victory over FC Utrecht on November 27 and four last time out in the competition during a 2-1 win over Feyenoord on January 29.

Both Teams To Score - Yes @ 1/1

Six of Panathinaikos's last seven games, including their last four, have featured goals for both teams.

As for Betis, BTTS-Yes has been a winning selection in four of their last seven, including three of their last four.

Three of Betis' final four league-phase matches saw both teams get on the scoresheet, while both teams have struck in Panathinaikos' last four European outings, including both legs of their knockout phase tie with Plzen last month.

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