Panathinaikos coach Benitez with impressive home record
Panathinaikos Athens and Real Betis will face each other in the round of 16 of the Europa League. The hosts finished the league phase in 20th place and then prevailed in the playoffs after two draws in a penalty shootout against Viktoria Plzen – Betis, on the other hand, finished the league phase in a strong fourth place and has only suffered one defeat so far.
The Greeks have been solid in front of their home crowd, remaining unbeaten in their last four home games since their defeat on matchday two. They have only failed to score once – in a 0-0 draw with Plzen. They have scored after halftime in four of their five home games, which is why our Panathinaikos Athens vs. Betis Sevilla tip is once again for the hosts to score in the second half.
An important factor for Panathinaikos is coach Rafael Benítez. The experienced coach has suffered only one defeat in his last 18 Europa League games (eight wins, nine draws). That sole defeat came in the 2014/15 season, when he lost 1-0 away to FC Dnipro in the semi-final second leg with SSC Napoli. His home record is particularly impressive: Benítez has remained unbeaten in 21 home games in this competition, recording 14 wins and seven draws.
The Greeks’ recent run in the competition is also striking. Panathinaikos has drawn each of its last five Europa League games. The last time such a streak occurred in European top-flight football was in the 2018/19 season, when Olympique Lyon achieved six consecutive draws in the Champions League.
Real Betis, on the other hand, already has experience playing away in Greece, but without much success. In two away games in the UEFA Europa League, they failed to win or score a goal: In September 2018, Betis drew 0-0 with Olympiacos, while in January this year they lost 2-0 to PAOK. With the visitors scoring only eight goals in four away games this season, we are betting on the Panathinaikos Athens vs. Betis Sevilla match to once again produce fewer than 2.5 goals.
However, the Spanish club has usually been solid away from home in knockout games on the international stage. Betis has lost only one of its last twelve away games in the knockout stages of a major European competition. That defeat came in March 2023, when the team lost 4-1 to Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League.
Panathinaikos Athens – Betis Sevilla Head-to-head record / H2H record
This is a first for Panathinaikos: the Greek club is facing Real Betis in a European competition for the first time. Overall, however, games against Spanish teams have been difficult for Panathinaikos in the past. Of their last 18 games against clubs from Spain, the team has won only one, with three draws and 14 defeats. The only victory came in September 2023 in the Europa League with a 2-0 home win against Villarreal.
Panathinaikos Athens – Betis Sevilla Tip
According to the Panathinaikos Athens vs. Betis Sevilla betting odds in the Interwetten app, the visitors are slight favorites going into this game. The Spaniards qualified for the next round within the top eight and conceded only one defeat and three goals in four away games – two of them against PAOK alone.
The hosts, on the other hand, have been particularly accurate in front of goal after the break – they have scored in the second half in seven of their ten Europa League games so far. Added to this is the home strength of coach Benitez, who has remained unbeaten in 21 home games in this competition.
