Can PAO turn things around at home?

It’s hard to believe, but Panathinaikos Athens fans have been waiting 15 years for their favorite club to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage again. After the second leg of the second qualifying round, there are many indications that the drought will continue for at least another season. A week ago, the tip on the Scots proved correct in the match between Panathinaikos and Glasgow Rangers, who won 2-0 at home and therefore hold all the cards ahead of the second leg.

Nevertheless, it must of course be taken into account that the Green and Whites are much stronger at home in front of 70,000 spectators at Spyros Louis than they are away. At the same time, the starting position plays into the hands of the “Gers.” However, anyone who dares to predict before the kick-off of the second leg between Panathinaikos and Glasgow Rangers that the visitors will focus exclusively on defense has not taken coach Russell Martin into account. The English-born, Scottish-based coach prefers a courageous style of play, which could well result in goals at both ends on Wednesday evening.

Panathinaikos – Statistics & current form

Panathinaikos last competed in Europe’s premier club competition in 2010/11. The team included prominent players such as Djibril Cisse, Gilberto Silva and the two Greek European champions Katsouranis and Karagounis. However, PAO’s appeal has waned significantly over the past decade and a half. They have celebrated just three cup wins since 2010. The men from Athens have mostly had to give way to their unloved rivals from Piraeus and Thessaloniki in the Greek top flight.

So it’s all the more gratifying that the team led by Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria will now have the chance to try their luck in the Champions League qualifiers as runners-up in the Greek league. However, the first hurdle in the second round may prove too high for the Green and Whites. At least, that’s what the odds suggest ahead of Panathinaikos’ second leg against Glasgow Rangers, with the Greeks needing a minor miracle on Wednesday evening. At Winamax, you would get 3.75 times your stake back if the “Trifýlli” were to reach the next round despite losing 2-0 in the first leg.

Panathinaikos’ early form leaves room for improvement

Although PAO enjoys home advantage and won six of its eight international matches in front of its own fans last season, I am rather skeptical about Athens’ chances. On the one hand, the Green and Whites were completely outplayed in the first leg, with only 24% possession. On the other hand, the results of their test matches so far have shown that Vitoria’s team is far from reaching its full potential. Among other things, they suffered defeats against Sporting Braga (1-2) and Nordsjaelland (0-1), as well as a flattering 0-0 draw against German second division side Schalke 04.

To make matters worse, the Greeks are under extreme pressure and need to find a good balance between offense and defense. Even one goal against them could seal their fate in the tie. Last year’s Conference League quarter-finalists will also have to tackle this mammoth task without the suspended Vagiannidis and injured key player Bakasetas. The fact that the reigning runners-up do not start the new Super League season until August 23 is also not an advantage. The Champions League matches fall in the middle of their preseason preparations, which brings with it a variety of problems.

Predicted line-up:
Dragowski – Jedvaj, Palmer-Brown, Touba, Kyriakopoulos – Chirivella, Maksimovic – Pellistri, Duricic, Mancini – Ioannidis

Glasgow Rangers – Statistics & current form

Many big names were in the frame when, at the end of last season, the search began for a successor to Barry Ferguson as head coach of Glasgow Rangers. A return for Steven Gerrard was mooted, as was a potential appointment for Davide Ancelotti, son of Carlo Ancelotti. In the end, however, it was Russell Martin, a coach who few had on their radar, who got the job.

The 39-year-old enjoys a very good reputation on the island. The main reason for this is that he managed to get Southampton back into the Premier League immediately. However, the Saints quickly reached their limits again, which cost Russell Martin his job in the south of England during the course of the season.

Nevertheless, the former professional made an impression with his daring style of play. The 29-time Scottish international loves attacking pressing, possession-oriented football and a very flexible build-up play. Waiting and caution are not part of his professional vocabulary. In my opinion, this brief characterization alone is enough to make a prediction between Panathinaikos and Glasgow Rangers on the number of goals scored by either team.

Will the Rangers roll over the Greeks with Martin football?

Basically, the Scottish runners-up’s new approach has quickly caught on in the metropolis of Glasgow. The two spectacular draws in the preseason against Club Brugge and Middlesbrough (2-2) have also played their part. Although it should not be forgotten that the “Gers” have to play away on Wednesday evening and certainly face a difficult task in the cauldron of Athens, the “Light Blues” have enough individual quality and experience to achieve another good result.

Instead of limiting themselves to defending, Tavernier and Co. will want to take the initiative and attack early again. Given that Martin’s team also starts its new league season at the weekend and should have an advantage in terms of fitness and match practice, I would not rule out the visitors scoring the first goal of the game. The betting odds for this are a generous 2.65 ahead of Panathinaikos’ clash with Glasgow Rangers.

Predicted line-up:
Butland – Tavernier, Djiga, Souttar, Aarons – Diomande, Rothwell, Raskin – Gassama, Danilo, Curtis

Panathinaikos – Glasgow Rangers Head-to-head record

The clubs will face each other in a competitive match for the sixth time on Wednesday evening. The head-to-head record is currently completely even. Both teams have secured one win each so far. However, three of the five encounters ended in a draw. However, the only thing that really matters for the second leg are the impressions from the first leg a week ago, which the “Gers” deservedly won 2-0 at home, opening the door to the third qualifying round. There, they would face the winner of the match between Viktoria Pilsen and Servette Geneva.

Panathinaikos – Glasgow Rangers Tip

In the clash between two renowned clubs, Glasgow Rangers got off to a strong start in the first leg a week ago. Thanks to a courageous performance, the “Gers” won 2-0 at home against Panathinaikos Athens and are therefore one and a half steps away from the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. On Wednesday evening, the second leg will take place in Greece, with PAO surprisingly clear favorites. The home side have had a mixed pre-season, are starting their league campaign three weeks later than their opponents and also face the difficult challenge of playing for victory without throwing in the towel too early.

In my opinion, it therefore makes far more sense to take advantage of the high odds for a positive result for the visitors. This is especially true given that the Scots have made a strong impression under their new coach Russell Martin and will not be focusing solely on defense. My Panathinaikos vs. Glasgow Rangers tip is therefore for the double chance X2, which is available at Betano with maximum odds of 2.02. I am betting four units.