The second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League is underway with some famous and storied clubs hoping to keep their dreams of reaching the league phase alive. Panathinaikos and Rangers are both in the hunt to qualify and meet in the second leg of their title in Athens on Wednesday.
Rangers claimed a hard-fought 2-0 victory in the first leg at Ibrox, which marked Russell Martin's first competitive match in charge.
After a tight first-half, youngster Findlay Curtis put Rangers ahead early in the second half before new £2 million signing Djeidi Gassama doubled their advantage. Georgios Vagiannidis was sent off for Panathinaikos.
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Panathinaikos vs. Rangers UEFA Champions League prediction
Panathinaikos performed well in the UEFA Conference League last season, reaching the last 16 of a tournament in which they relied heavily on their home form. They overturned a first-leg deficit in the playoff round against Vikingur Reykjavik to progress with an impressive display in Greece, and beat Fiorentina 3-2 at home in the round of 16, only to slump to a 3-1 defeat in the return leg.
Former Southampton boss Martin will be under immediate pressure to help Rangers close the gap on Brendan Rodgers and Celtic this season. It was a good start to his tenure last week but his teams have often been criticised for a glass jaw, and now they head to a fiery and hostile atmosphere knowing that the tie hasn’t quite been put to bed.
Panathinaikos may not have enough to overturn a two-goal deficit here, but with home advantage they should be confident of winning the second leg. They are priced up at 7/10 with Sky Bet, with the draw at 13/5 and Rangers out at 11/4
The Sporting News' Score Prediction: Panathinaikos 2-1 Rangers
- Panathinaikos are rated as a 58.8% chance to beat Rangers inside 90 minutes by Sky Bet for this match.
- Learn more about reading odds, different types of bets and the best online betting sites through our how to bet on football guide
Panathinaikos vs. Rangers predicted lineups
Panathinaikos predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left)
- Dragowski (GK) — Jedvaj, Palmer-Brown, Touba, Kyriakopoulos — Pedro Chirivella, Maksimovic — Facundo Pellistri, Bakasetas, Djuricic — Ioannidis
Injured: None
Suspended: Vagiannidis
Rangers predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left)
- Butland (GK) — Tavernier, Djiga, Souttar, Aarons — Diomande, Rothwell, Raskin — Dowell, Danilo, Curtis
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Panathinaikos vs. Rangers latest odds, correct score betting
The atmosphere and hostility of playing at the Olympic Stadium in Athens will give Panathinaikos a real hope of overturning the deficit, but Rangers know that just one counter-attack should be enough to progress.
Backing our score prediction of 2-1 to the Greeks inside 90 minutes, enough for the Scots to make the third qualifying round, is priced up at 15/2 with Sky Bet. Here is a look at some of the other scorelines you could back.
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Panathinaikos vs. Rangers team news
- The biggest concern for Panathinaikos to deal with ahead of the second leg is that Greek right-back Georgios Vagiannidis is missing through suspension after his red card last week.
- Their key attackers, Tasos Bakasetas and Fotis Ioannidis, didn’t quite show their quality last week, but they will likely be trusted to do so back at home.
- Russell Martin has a dilemma to solove on the right flank, with Djeidi Gassama’s debut goal giving him a reason to ponder whether to stick with Kieran Dowell.
- Aside from that, Rangers have a fully fit squad, making it likely he will name an unchanged side.
Panathinaikos vs. Rangers Bet Builder tips
Our bet builder for this game is for Panathinaikos to win and both teams to score, which is 5/2 with Sky Bet. To boost those odds, though, you can back the aforementioned Gassama to score anytime (5/1 with Sky Bet)
Panathinaikos will be slightly favoured with their home advantage, but the need to attack will open the door for Rangers to counter punch, and that should provide an entertaining encounter for the neutral.
Gassama may not start again this week, but if the game does go in the way of Panathinaikos pouring men forward, then if he is introduced in the second-half, he could run riot late on.
You can back our bet builder with your preferred bookie, or create your own using TSN's bet builder tool below.
Panathinaikos vs. Rangers head-to-head
Panathinaikos and Rangers had faced each other on four occasions before last week’s fifth meeting, and that meeting produced Rangers’ first ever win between the two sides.
In their other games, Panathinaikos have won once with three draws. The first meeting between the two clubs came back in 2003, with the Greeks winning 3-1 at Ibrox.
How to watch Panathinaikos vs. Rangers: Live stream, TV channel
- Date: Wednesday, July 30
- Venue: Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece
- Time: 7:30 p.m. BST
- TV/Stream: BBC, BBC iPlayer