- Roma have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five matches.
- Panathinaikos have won two and drawn one of their last three at home.
- Roma are 6th with 15 points from seven games in the UEFA Europa League 2025-2026 while Panathinaikos are 19th with 11 from the same number of matches.
Tactical chess match in Athens
Roma are favourites at 81/100 for their UEFA Europa League clash at Panathinaikos on Thursday, but Rafa Benitez’s Greeks will put up a good fight in what should be a fascinating tactical chess match.
Roma are the better team on paper and have been the most impressive club in the Europa League so far, winning all three of their away assignments in the Europa League and scoring seven goals in the process. But Panathinaikos are in good form and could make this tricky for the Giallorossi.
Anass Zaroury has been a key player for Panathinaikos, scoring four goals in seven Europa League appearances, but the best player on the pitch on Thursday is likely to be Roma’s Donyell Malen, who has three in six Europa League appearances.
Roma are superior but Panathinaikos will push
Panathinaikos are unbeaten in their last five across all competitions, winning three and drawing two, so the stats make them the underdogs here, but Roma are a class act and just seem more likely to win this.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have been in excellent shape since he took charge in June 2025, injecting a highly aggressive vertical style of football with a 3-4-2-1 formation that includes wing-backs and high pressing. Roma will try to overrun Panathinaikos with their speed on the break and ability to overload wide areas.
Benitez’s side will be much more structured, maintaining a 4-2-3-1 with an emphasis on defensive discipline and playing a controlled tempo in the build-up. Panathinaikos have won one, drawn one and lost one at home, averaging 1.00 goals scored and 1.00 conceded in those games.
Giallorossi good for goal-fest
Roma’s latest result was a composed 2-0 win over VfB Stuttgart in the Europa League before a gutsy 1-1 draw with AC Milan in Serie A at the weekend. Panathinaikos had a 3-0 home win over Aris Thessaloniki in the Cup before a solid 1-1 draw at Ferencvarosi TC in this competition.
There are no head-to-head games between these clubs at senior level, but with the odds for BTTS at 17/20 it would seem both teams will be looking to get forward here. The visitors are undefeated on the road, but with seven goals in three away trips in the Europa League, we feel Panathinaikos could hold firm and force a draw in a closely-fought affair.
