A closely fought encounter is expected as Panathinaikos host Rennes in a Europa League Group F fixture on Thursday. Both teams appear evenly matched heading into this one and could be set to cancel each other out.
Panathinaikos played out a 0-0 draw with Maccabi Haifa in their previous Europa League fixture. Having begun their campaign with a solid 2-0 win over Villarreal, that result will feel like a let-down, especially as they failed to muster a single attempt on target throughout the encounter.
While manager Ivan Jovanivic will be disappointed with the performance at Maccabi Haifa, he will be keen to look at the bigger picture as Panathinaikos are still unbeaten in Group F. They have also lost once in their last eight matches and picked up a 5-0 win over Atromitos in A Greek Super League fixture.
A slight problem for Panathinaikos is that they have been slightly erratic at the Athens Olympic Stadium in recent times. They have claimed just two wins and suffered two defeats in their last five home matches across all competitions.
Rennes failed to build on a 3-0 victory over Maccabi Haifa on match-day one as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Villarreal last time out. They saw more of the possession and had several attempts on goal but could not find a way back into the contest having gone behind in the first half.
The defeat to Villarreal appears to have sparked a downward spiral for Rennes, who have now lost their last three matches across all competitions. They travel to Panathinaikos off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Lorient in a Ligue 1 fixture last weekend.
Rennes have also found things difficult on their recent travels as they are winless in their last six away matches across all competitions. However, it is not all doom and gloom as three of those fixtures have ended in draws.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be split on this one with a win for Panathinaikos priced at 7/4 with Paddy Power while a victory for Rennes is valued at 13/8 by BoyleSports. 10bet is offering odds of 12/5 for a draw.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Panathinaikos and Rennes.
Players to watch
Alexander Jeremejeff has been the man in form for Panathinaikos having found the net in his last two matches. Betfred has the attacker at odds of 5/2 to maintain his scoring run on Thursday.
Rennes often spread their goals across the team, although Amine Gouiri is usually involved in most of their attacking plays. The attacker could be worth keeping an eye on to get on the score sheet at 27/10 by William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
Panathinaikos and Rennes have attacking quality and both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with Coral. The Greeks have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two home matches and a repeat is priced at 13/5 with Coral while over 2.5 goals is valued at evens with bet365.
A cagey, closely fought opening is expected, so the second half could be tipped to produce the most goals at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Europa League match between Panathinaikos and Rennes will be played on Oct 26, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Panathinaikos vs Rennes prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
