Will Samsunspor make it to Europe at the first attempt?
On Thursday, 21.08.2025, Panathinaikos Athens and Samsunspor will face each other in the fourth and final round of the Europa League qualifiers. The roles seem to be clearly defined in advance, as Rui Vitoria has a squad worth almost €95 million at his disposal, while the market value of the visitors is only €48 million.
Individually, the Greeks are on a completely different level to the Turks. This will also be one of the reasons why the odds for a Panathinaikos Athens vs. Samsunspor tip clearly favor a home win. The maximum odds for a home win are only 1.60. However, we are somewhat skeptical, as the Greek representative’s recent results have been anything but promising.
Panathinaikos Athens qualified for the second round of Champions League qualifying as the reigning Greek vice-champion and faced Glasgow Rangers. However, their dream of playing in Europe’s premier club competition was over early on, as “Prasini” lost 1-3 on aggregate. Rui Vitoria’s team then went on to the third round of the Europa League.
There, the Greeks faced Shakhtar Donetsk and, after two goalless draws, only prevailed in a penalty shootout. Conversely, this means that the home side has remained winless in all four international games. So the supposed favorites are not really in good form. In our Panathinaikos Athens vs. Samsunspor prediction, we therefore still lack the reasons for the bookies’ fairly clear odds distribution.
One of the reasons will be their home record, as the hosts are incredibly difficult to beat at the Spiros Louis Olympic Stadium. Rui Vitoria’s team have lost only four of their last 28 home games, celebrating victories against teams such as Lens, Fiorentina, PAOK, and AEK Athens. In addition, the four defeats were mainly against top clubs such as Olympiacos, Chelsea, and Ajax Amsterdam.
In addition, the Turkish representative from Samsun is not particularly strong away from home, so this point goes to the home side. However, Thomas Reis’ team is not weak away from home, with 33 points from their last 20 away games. In our opinion, the Panathinaikos Athens vs. Samsunspor odds for a home win are not without risk.
Panathinaikos Athens – Samsunspor Head-to-head record / H2H record
In the first three sections of our analysis, the Greeks have the edge. Rui Vitoria’s team has better individual players and is also quite strong at home. On the other hand, the Turks have been in better form recently and have also performed very well away from home. So it remains close.
The head-to-head comparison does not change this, as the two teams have not met a single time so far. This is primarily due to the fact that “Kırmızı Şimşekler” (the Red Lightning Bolts) only returned to the Süper Lig in 2023 and have never participated in any of the three international competitions. This could be another reason why the Panathinaikos Athens vs. Samsunspor betting odds favor the home team and thus their international experience.
Panathinaikos Athens – Samsunspor Tip
Taking all the important facts into account, we have decided on a Panathinaikos Athens vs. Samsunspor betting tip for a point for the home team in combination with under 3.5 goals. The reasons for this are quite simple: the Greeks are incredibly difficult to beat at home and, with their fans behind them, they have a twelfth man on the field.
In addition, Rui Vitoria’s team is better equipped individually and also has more international experience. All of this leads us to believe that the Turks will take away a maximum of one point.
Alternatively, you can also add the Panathinaikos Athens vs. Samsunspor odds for under 2.5 goals to your betting slip. This tip carries a little more risk, but it also covers a possible win for the away team. In addition, both teams are very solid defensively and usually concede very few goals. In the last four games played by the Greeks, an average of only 1.0 goals per game were scored. The best odds for this betting tip can be found at bookmaker Bet365.
