Panathinaikos vs Chelsea Prediction: Blues to extend BTTS run in Greece

Chelsea resume their Uefa Conference League campaign on Thursday (17:45, TNT Sports 1) when they take on Greek giants Panathinaikos at the Olympic Stadium of Athens.

Read below for my Panathinaikos vs Chelsea prediction, complete with all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this league phase contest in the Greek capital.

Team News

Panathinaikos are once again without captain and last season's top scorer, Fotis Ioannidis, who was taken off before half-time in the goalless draw with Olympiakos earlier this month and subsequently missed Sunday's 1-0 win at OFI Crete.

Icelandic defender Hordur Magnusson hasn't featured this calendar year and remains out injured, while Andrez Sporar is considered doubtful.

Dimitris Limnios, Zeca and Tonny Vilhena are ineligible as they have all been left out of the club's Conference League squad.

Former Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri could start on Thursday after coming off the bench in Pana's last two matches, as could Morocco's 2022 Fifa World Cup star, Azzedine Ounahi, who joined on loan from Marseille last month.

Football Odds

Danish goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen was absent from the Chelsea squad that lost 2-1 to Liverpool on Sunday; however, the 22-year-old is expected to recover from his head injury to reclaim his role as the Blues' cup competition shot-stopper.

Reece James made his first appearance of the season at Anfield but was taken off less than 10 minutes into the second half and isn't fit enough to play twice in a week, so he will instead prepare for Sunday's Premier League clash with Newcastle United.

Instead, Axel Disasi could start at right-back in Greece, as he did in Chelsea's 4-2 win over Gent in the Conference League earlier this month, and the Frenchman is likely to be joined in defence by Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile and Renato Veiga.

In midfield, Enzo Fernandez could start after only being introduced as a second-half substitute on Merseyside, and the Argentine would join Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Cesare Casadei behind a front three of Joao Felix, Christopher Nkunku and Pedro Neto.

Mykhailo Mudryk started against Gent last time out in the competition but wasn't even in the squad on Sunday, so it remains to be seen if the Ukrainian is thrust straight back into the starting XI.

Marc Cucurella is back from his domestic suspension but could be kept in reserve for the weekend, while none of Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and Cole Palmer have been named in Chelsea's Conference League squad for the league phase.

None of James, Colwill, Malo Gusto, Moises Caicedo, or Nicolas Jackson have travelled to Athens.

Panathinaikos vs Chelsea Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Panathinaikos vs Chelsea page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Panathinaikos are 5/1 to record their first league phase victory, giving the Greeks an implied win probability of 16.7%, while Chelsea are 8/15, or a 65.2% chance, to make it back-to-back triumphs in the competition.

The draw, meanwhile, is priced at 100/30, and both teams to score at 8/11.

Nkunku (11/8) heads the anytime goalscorer market for Chelsea while Alexander Jeremejeff (11/4) is the shortest-priced for the hosts.

Both Teams To Score - Yes @ 8/11

Not huge odds on this one, but it's a bet still worth backing, in my opinion.

Both teams to score has been a winner in seven Panathinaikos games this season, including in four of their seven European outings, the latest of which was a 1-1 draw with Borac Banja Luka on October 3 as they started the league phase of the Conference League with a point in Serbia.

Chelsea have also seen seven of their matches in 2024/25 finish with at least a goal on either side, including their last four - one of which was their first league phase match against Genk at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

Enzo Maresca has only overseen four clean sheets since taking charge of the Blues in the summer, and one of those was at home to English fourth-division side Barrow in the Carabao Cup.

Manchester City are the only team to have stopped Maresca's men from scoring and that was on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, when the Citizens won 2-0 in west London. Since then, the Blues have struck 29 times in 11 games, highlighting the firepower they possess at the top end of the pitch.

There's no Palmer on Thursday and Jackson is also likely to be left out of the action, but that matters little with the likes of Nkunku, Joao Felix and Neto floating around at the top end of the pitch, looking to inflict damage on the opposition.

I'd be surprised if they were kept out in Greece, but I'm also backing the hosts to score at least once, despite being held to a 0-0 by Olympiakos in their last match at the Olympic Stadium of Athens.

It's likely to be an emotional evening in Athens as supporters and players come together at the stadium for the first time since the untimely passing earlier this month of George Baldock, who started against Olympiakos on October 6 before being found dead in the pool of his house in Glyfada three days later.

We saw how the Greece national team pulled together the following day as they beat England 2-1 at Wembley Stadium before dedicating the victory to their former teammate, who earned 12 caps for a country he qualified for through his grandmother.

Whether Panathinaikos can quite emulate the achievements of the national team I'm unsure, but in adversity often lies strength and I think the Shamrock can put up a fight against Chelsea and at least get on the scoresheet here.

First Goalscorer - Christopher Nkunku (CHE) @ 9/2

It's little surprise to see Nkunku head the anytime goalscorer market on Thursday, particularly with Chelsea's main man, Palmer, unable to play in Athens.

Nkunku has largely been restricted to cameo roles during the latter stages of Premier League games this season but has been Maresca's first port of call in the cup competitions, starting all three matches in Europe as well as one in the Carabao Cup.

The 26-year-old has certainly made the most of the limited opportunities he has been given, scoring in all four cup games. His most recent strike for Chelsea, their third in a 4-2 win over Gent last time out in the Conference League, brought up his seventh Blues goal of the season, and he will be eager to add to his tally in Athens on Thursday.

At 7/5, though, I think I'd prefer to push past him in the anytime goalscorer market and instead back the Frenchman to grab the game's first goal, something he has done on four occasions this term - two of which came in European competition against Swiss side Servette.

With Palmer out, Nkunku is Chelsea's designated penalty-taker, and he's already shown his eye from 12 yards with two successful spot-kicks in Europe, which acts as another reason to back him to open the scoring on Thursday.

Offers

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