Can Panathinaikos upset the Scots?
While the home side have made a name for themselves by reaching the final of the 2021/22 Europa League, the visitors tend to fly under the radar on the international stage. This will also be one of the reasons why the Glasgow Rangers vs. Panathinaikos Athens odds from German bookmakers favor a home win. However, we are a little cautious, as the two teams are very evenly matched (€97.50 million vs. €94.75 million).
The name alone or individual class cannot really be the reason for the distribution of roles. For this reason, we will now look at the home and away records of the two teams as the next important factor.
Here, the Scots have a clear advantage, as the hosts won 63% of their home games last year, while the Greeks won only 38% of their away games. This point of our Glasgow Rangers vs. Panathinaikos Athens prediction therefore goes to the home team. For some bookmakers, such as Oddset, this will probably have been the main reason for the odds distribution.
Glasgow Rangers – Statistics & current form
Glasgow Rangers are no strangers to the international stage and have played regularly in the Europa League in recent years. After finishing runners-up last season, Russell Martin’s team now has the chance to play in the Champions League again.
However, it will not be easy, as the Scots have regularly failed to qualify in recent seasons and only qualified for the Champions League in 2022/23. Panathinaikos Athens are now waiting in the wings and are a very difficult opponent. Reaching the third round is therefore anything but certain. The first leg at Ibrox is therefore particularly important and could already decide the tie. The Rangers are not particularly strong away from home.
Glasgow Rangers are incredibly strong in attack
With 80 goals in 38 league games (⌀ 2.11), the home side have one of the best attacks in Scotland. In fact, only Celtic Glasgow have scored more goals. At home, the average is even better at 2.32. In addition, Russell Martin’s team have only failed to score five times, finding the back of the net in 87% of their games. The Scottish side’s offense has also been impressive across all competitions, scoring 62 goals in 30 home games. Even opponents such as Europa League winners Tottenham and Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise have not been spared.
Glasgow Rangers are solid defensively
At home, Russell Martin’s team is capable of scoring against almost any opponent in the world. Offensively, there is little to criticize about the Scots. Defensively, however, things are not quite as good, as the home side conceded significantly more goals than their city rivals, with 41 goals in 38 league games (⌀ 1.08). This has repeatedly come back to haunt Russell Martin’s team on the international stage, as the Scots have often failed to keep a clean sheet. That is also the reason why the club signed three defenders in Emmanuel Fernandez, Nasser Dijga, and Max Aarons. We are curious to see whether the new signings can make an immediate impact.
Predicted line-up:
Butland – Tavernier, Fernandez, Pröpper, Aarons – Raskin, Diomande, Barron – Cortes, Danilo, Curtis
Injuries & suspensions:
No information available.
Panathinaikos Athens – Statistics & current form
Panathinaikos will not be entirely satisfied with the past season. Rui Vitoria’s team picked up “only” 59 points from 32 league games, leaving them 16 points behind the league leaders. Nevertheless, Athens managed to secure second place shortly before the end of the season, thereby qualifying for the Champions League qualifying round. However, participation in Europe’s premier competition remains rather unrealistic, as the Greeks last achieved this in 2010. Since then, the Greek representative has regularly failed to qualify and has even missed out on the Europa League on most occasions. In addition, Glasgow Rangers are a real tough draw in the second round. Over at least 180 minutes, the chances of advancing are slim.
Panathinaikos Athens lacks offensive power
Away from home, Rui Vitoria’s team has struggled to create chances, scoring only 13 goals in 13 league games. This trend has carried over to other competitions, with the Greeks scoring only 32 goals (⌀ 1.23) in 26 away games across all competitions. That may not sound too bad at first, but we mustn’t forget that the level of play in the Greek top flight, in domestic cup competitions and also in the Conference League is significantly lower than in the Champions League. We don’t want to rule out a goal in Glasgow entirely, but we expect the visitors to score no more than one.
Panathinaikos Athens is unlikely to keep a clean sheet
With 32 goals conceded in 32 league games (⌀ 1.00), Rui Vitoria’s team looks very respectable on paper. However, compared to Olympiacos Piraeus (22), the reigning Greek champions, this record is rather mediocre. In addition, the Greek representative conceded too many goals in the Conference League, even against Vikingur Reykjavik, Djurgarden, and Borac. Rangers are on a completely different level and will certainly create one or two big chances. We therefore don’t believe the visitors will keep a clean sheet away from home. Even conceding several goals is a realistic possibility in this match.
Predicted line-up:
Dragowski – Kyriakopoulos, Touba, Palmer-Brown. Vagiannidis – Cerin, Chirivella, Bakasetas – Duricic, Ioannidis, Pellistri
Injuries & suspensions:
No information available.
Glasgow Rangers – Panathinaikos Athens Head-to-head record / H2H record
In the first two paragraphs of our analysis, the Scots appear to have the slightly better chances of winning. In addition to their home record, the home side’s form also speaks in their favor. However, this is not confirmed by the H2H comparison, as the Scottish representative has not yet won a single duel against the Greeks. On the other hand, Athens has also only won one of the four duels, so the direct comparison is fairly even. Nevertheless, the Glasgow Rangers vs. Panathinaikos Athens betting odds should be a little more balanced. We don’t see a big advantage for the home team yet.
Glasgow Rangers – Panathinaikos Athens Tip
Taking all of the above factors into account, we have decided to go for a home win and under 3.5 goals in the Glasgow Rangers vs. Panathinaikos Athens betting tip. This is primarily due to the home and away records of the two teams. The Scots are difficult to beat with the support of their own fans. In addition, the Greeks are not particularly strong away from home and also thrive on the support of their own fans. Nevertheless, it cannot be overlooked that the away team is very solid defensively and can therefore hold its own. We therefore expect few goals and a close result.
Alternatively, you can also add the Glasgow Rangers vs. Panathinaikos Athens odds for a home win to your betting slip. This is primarily because the visitors have great difficulty creating serious goal-scoring opportunities away from home. We would therefore not be surprised if the away team fails to score. On the other hand, the home team’s offensive power is obvious and should therefore be enough to secure the winning goal. You can find the best odds for this tip at Betano.