Panathinaikos vs Shakhtar Donetsk Tips & Preview - Ukrainians to stand firm in Greece

By Tolu Shotade

26 seconds ago

Tolu Shotade 26 seconds ago

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Panathinaikos hosts Shakhtar Donetsk in UEFA Europa League qualifier.
Panathinaikos in poor form, struggling defensively; only 1 win in 6 matches.
Shakhtar Donetsk unbeaten in last 3 matches, strong away from home.

Panathinaikos vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Panathinaikos host Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League qualifier, with a place in the playoffs up for grabs.

The Greeks have been below their best lately and are also unconvincing at home. The Ukrainians are showing some good form lately and can avoid defeat in this clash.

Panathinaikos News

Panathinaikos dropped to the Europa League after crashing from the second round of the UEFA Champions League following a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Rangers. Rui Vitoria's team lost 2-0 in Scotland before playing out a 1-1 home draw in the second leg.

Both results are part of a poor run for Panathinaikos, who have struggled to find their best form lately. They are winless in five of their last six matches across all competitions.

One of the issues for Panathinaikos is their vulnerable backline, having failed to keep a clean sheet in eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions. However, they have scored in six fixtures on this run, with four of their last five goals coming after the break.

Shakhtar Donetsk News

Shakhtar Donetsk did the double over Besiktas to reach the third round of the Europa League. They earned a 4-2 away victory in the first leg before claiming a 2-0 home win in the second meeting.

The Ukrainians have been solid lately, winning their last three matches across all competitions. Arda Turan's men are also unbeaten in their last 10 away matches and claimed a 1-0 victory at Epitsentr in their opening fixture in the Ukrainian Premier League last weekend.

Shakhtar Donetsk also look sharp going forward and have scored eight of the 12 goals in their last five away matches after the break. However, they are without a clean sheet in two of their last four matches across all competitions.

Head to Head

There are no previous matches between Panathinaikos and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Verdict

Panathinaikos v Shakhtar Donetsk

Both teams come into this clash in contrasting form, with Panathinaikos struggling at the moment while Shakhtar Donetsk are looking sharp. With the Ukrainians unbeaten in their last 10 away matches, they should do enough to earn a win or draw on Thursday.

Panathinaikos and Shakhtar Donetsk have shown some attacking quality lately, and both teams are expected to score here. Given their knack for leaving things late, the second half is likely to produce more goals.

Shakhtar Donetsk

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Yes

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Second Half

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