- Real Betis need to come back from a 1-0 aggregate deficit after Panathinaikos’ last-gasp penalty in the first leg.
- Real Betis will be without defensive leader Diego Llorente due to red card suspension but get Sofyan Amrabat back in midfield.
- Panathinaikos are among the top four in the Greek Super League and have a string of convincing domestic wins.
In it for the long haul
The story of Panathinaikos’ 1-0 aggregate lead heading into Thursday’s return leg is the story of Vicente Taborda’s late penalty. Taborda is a player who is in fine form after his match-winning penalty and always seems to be in the right place at the right time to make the difference in knockout ties.
But this tie is far from over. The hosts are in the habit of taking control of games and creating overloads down the flanks and through the centre when they move wide players into the half-spaces and number tens make late runs into the box. They have a control-based style of play and the technical qualities in wide areas and midfield to play that way.
However, Manuel Pellegrini’s men have lost their defensive leader, Diego Llorente, to suspension for the return after his red card in Athens. That will leave a big hole at the back and force a reshuffle, but the return of Sofyan Amrabat could be a game-changer for Betis in terms of steel and ball retention.
Betis have the quality to edge it
Pellegrini’s Betis have been a little off the boil for a few weeks, struggling away from home while a few lapses in concentration have cost them dearly. They sit fifth in LaLiga with 43 points from 27 games, enough for a European push but no more than that it seems.
Home form has been a bright spot, but Panathinaikos will come to Seville with positive momentum after emphatic Super League wins. Rafa Benitez has turned them into an extremely hard to break down team, who are very dangerous on the counter-attack and a real handful at set-piece situations.
Panathinaikos will sit deep, frustrate Betis and try to take their chances on the break with the pace of Tetê and Zaroury and the strength and power of Karol Świderski coming through the middle. But Zaroury is a double-edged sword, having seen red himself in the frantic final minutes of the first leg.
Betis have a mental edge
This is the first competitive European meeting between the two clubs so there is no recent history to go on, but the bookies make Betis the 2/5 favourites and Panathinaikos 7/1 outsiders, which seems about right considering the 1 - 0 aggregate score.
The hosts will look to grind out a 2-0 or 2-1 win, but the visitors are so well organised and have the lead, so they’ll keep it tight and hope to nick a goal to protect their advantage. Backing under 2.5 goals at 1/1 and Both Teams to Score - No at 73/100 appeals in a game that the visitors won’t want to be in even if they can hold on for a draw after 90 minutes.
