Buoyed by an Athenian derby win at the weekend, Panathinaikos will turn their attention to retaining their place at the UEFA Conference League summit and potentially helping to boot CSKA Sofia out of the top 24 of the league phase.
Match News and Current Form
Panathinaikos defeated rivals AEK Athens 2-0 on Sunday to end the weekend at the top of both the Greek Super League and the Conference League. The 20-time Super League champions are on a six-game winning streak across all competitions, having lost only once in what has been a relentlessly busy season so far (W16, D3). That run of results includes a 2-1 victory over Borac Banja Luka in the Shamrock’s opening league phase encounter of the campaign - their fifth straight Conference League main draw home win.
CSKA played an intracity game of their own against Slavia Sofia at the weekend, and while it is not as heated as the Eternal derby with Levski Sofia, a 0-0 draw was certainly painful as they consequently lost top spot in Bulgaria’s top flight to Levski. They are nevertheless unbeaten in four competitive encounters since losing to Monaco on matchday one of this league phase (W2, D2) and then secured a point at Nordsjælland on their first Conference League away trip this season (2-2). Their hopes of going one step further here look unlikely though given that they have won only one of their last 17 main draw European games on the road (D4, L12), with that victory coming in 2010.
Head-to-Head History
These teams last met in the 1988/89 European Cup Winners’ Cup, when CSKA extended their perfect record against Panathinaikos to four victories - their most wins against any opponent in major European competition. They have since lost twice to Greek opposition though (OFI Crete in 2026/27), while Panathinaikos are unbeaten against Bulgarian sides this century (W5, D1).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Panathinaikos led at half-time in six of their last seven wins.
All eight of Panathinaikos’ European matches this season saw both teams score.
Eight of CSKA’s last ten losses were by a 2+ goal margin.
CSKA kept five first-half clean sheets in their last six games.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
No player has netted more times across the first two matchdays of this season’s Conference League than Panathinaikos forward Cyriel Dessers (three), with the Dutchman ending up on the winning side in nine of his ten scoring appearances for the club (D1). Stefano Sensi has been highly creative in their two league phase games this term, fashioning nine goalscoring chances and registering two assists.
Andreas Tetteh went off injured for Panathinaikos against AEK, while CSKA's Mohamed Brahimi returns from suspension.
For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.
Betting Analysis
Both sides scoring here seems sensible given their recent matches.
Author: Aaron Murphy