The Olympic Stadium in Athens is the venue for Wednesday's Conference League third qualifying round first leg between Panathinaikos and CSKA 1948 Sofia.
The hosts are always a tough proposition on home soil and Jacob Neestrup's men have been looking strong in front of goal.
In contrast, CSKA put in a stubborn defensive display to get them through to this stage of the Conference League and their backline will be massively tested this time around.
Panathinaikos v CSKA 1948 Sofia Tips Summary
Best Bet - Panathinaikos to win to nil @ 8/11
Alternative Bet - Panathinaikos goals range - 2-4 @ 8/13
Bet Builder - Draw HT-Panathinaikos FT, Over 8 corners & Most goals in 2nd half @ 6/1
Panathinaikos v CSKA 1948 Sofia Predictions
Best Bet: Panathinaikos to win to nil @ 8/11
A fourth-placed Greek Super League finish last season will have been frustrating for both fans and officials of Panathinaikos.
The Trifylli finished 20 points behind league winners and Athens rivals AEK and will expect improvement under a new manager.
Dane Neestrup, formerly in charge of FC Copenhagen, replaced Rafa Benitez in the managerial hot-seat and the early signs have been good.
Comfortable pre-season friendly wins over Ajax and Grasshoppers were followed by a 4-3 aggregate win over Paks in the second qualifying round.
CSKA 1948 are already three matches into their new domestic season, with Aleksandar Aleksandrov’s men unbeaten to date with two wins and a draw.
The Sofia-based club also won a tight second qualifying round tie, sealing a win over Spartak Trnava on penalties.
The Reds were held to two 0-0 draws by the Slovakian outfit but ultimately reached this stage with a 5-3 win in the shootout.
It’s also worth noting that CSKA failed to score in their only away league game this term - a 0-0 draw at Slavia Sofia last month.
Alternative Bet: Panathinaikos goals range - 2-4 @ 8/13
Including pre-season friendlies, Panathinaikos have scored 15 goals in their six matches this season.
The Greek side scored two goals in each of the two legs in the last round, which included a late equaliser from Elmin Rastoder to claim an aggregate success over Paks.
Panathinaikos averaged 1.46 goals per game in last season’s Greek Super League, under a more defensive coach in Benitez, so expect more from them as an attacking force.
They also lost just two of their 15 home matches last term, with defeats coming only against city rivals Olympiakos and AEK.
Panathinaikos v CSKA 1948 Sofia Bet Builder
- Draw HT-Panathinaikos FT
- Over 8 corners
- Most goals in 2nd half
Pays 6/1
Going off their previous away games this season, it will be no surprise to see CSKA try and keep things tight and defend in numbers.
Panathinakos were level at half-time in the last round home tie and may need to be patient in their attempts to break down their opponents.
The home fans though will demand that they throw numbers forward as the game progresses and that could lead to plenty of set-pieces.
There were 13 corners in Panathinaikos’ second qualifying-round second leg, while there were 12 in CSKA 1948’s second-leg clash.
With the visitors looking to keep things tight for as much as possible, it might take time for the hosts to make the breakthrough.
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Key Match Stats
- Panathinaikos forward Andrews Tetteh was in the top-seven players in the Greek Super League for both goals (seven) and assists (six)
- Mamadou Diallo scored twice for CSKA 1948 Sofia in their 2-1 success over Arda on Friday
- CSKA 1948 have not won any of their last four competitive away games
- Only Olympiakos had a better disciplinary record in Greece than Panathinaikos last season, with just 12 yellow cards and one red
- Panathinaikos had 17 attempts in the 2-2 draw with Paks, with seven of those on target
- There were 13 yellow cards in CSKA 1948’s second-leg draw with five for the Bulgarian team
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
