Panathinaikos vs Shakhtar Donetsk Prediction: Another Greek tragedy could be looming

Panathinaikos made a mess of their Uefa Champions League qualifying tilt, and they may be up against it when they get a second chance in the Uefa Europa League.

The Greek side fell to a 3-1 aggregate loss to Rangers, and they may find it hard to negotiate a way past in-form Ukrainians Shakhtar Donetsk, who can at least avoid defeat at the Olympic Stadium of Athens on Thursday (19:00 BST). Below are my Panathinaikos vs Shakhtar Donetsk predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Panathinaikos have reported no injury concerns, and they are boosted by the return of Georgios Vagiannidis from suspension.

Today's Football Fixtures

Shakhtar boss Arda Turan can call on a full-strength squad for this clash in Athens.

Panathinaikos vs Shakhtar Donetsk Odds

These two have never met in competitive action, and a close contest is expected, with Panathinaikos 6/4 to seal a first-leg lead. Shakhtar are 13/8, or a 38.1% chance, and the draw is 12/5.

Over 2.5 goals is priced at 8/11, and it's just 4/7 that both teams find the net.

Shakhtar Donetsk draw no bet @ 10/11

Panathinaikos drew 1-1 in the home leg of their Champions League qualifying tie with Rangers, but there could be worse to come for the Greek side this week.

A 2-0 loss in Glasgow did most of the damage for Rui Vitoria's side, who were left frustrated by the Scottish giants.

Shakhtar head to Athens in even better shape than the Gers were, and they are fancied to get the upper hand in this contest, although Athens is never an easy place to visit, so keeping the draw on side could be crucial in this bet.

The Ukraine outfit have won four of their five matches this term and have scored 13 goals while conceding just twice.

Having dumped out Besiktas in the previous round of this competition, they will have their tails up, and they have lost just one of their last 20 matches in all competitions.

That sequence could be extended this week, and backing Shakhtar with the draw no bet looks a solid wager.

Over 1.5 Shakhtar Donetsk goals @ 5/4

Shakhtar have been banging in the goals this term, and they could notch another couple at least against Panathinaikos this week.

It's 13 scored and just two conceded for Turan's clinical crew, who emphatically beat Besiktas 6-2 on aggregate in the previous round of Europa League qualifying.

A 4-2 win in Istanbul was particularly impressive, and Panathinaikos will be well aware of that threat. Stopping them is another matter, though, and the Pitmen could extract at least another couple of goals on their trip to the Greek capital this Thursday.

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