As expected, the home advantage ended up making the difference. Rangers, also benefiting from the support of the Ibrox crowd, won the first leg against Panathinaikos, putting them in a strong position to qualify for the third round. The first leg in Glasgow ended 2-0 for Russell Martin’s men: first Curtis and then Gassama, both in the second half, pierced the green-and-white defense, which had been dangerous several times in the first half, despite leaving possession to their opponents (75% to 25%).
Things got hopelessly complicated for Panathinaikos after conceding the first goal. Vagiannidis was sent off early for a second yellow card, leaving Rui Vitoria’s team a man down: with ten men, it became almost impossible to recover. Now they need a miracle to turn things around and get back in the race: in Athens, Pana will have to win by at least two goals to go into extra time. The Greeks will try to take advantage of Rangers’ traditional difficulties away from their fans, where they usually struggle more. Ioannidis and his teammates will need to be more clinical in front of goal, especially since they created plenty of chances at Ibrox (four shots on target compared to Rangers’ five).
Odds comparison
Panathinaikos is priced at 1.70 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and 1.73 on Snai. The “Over 2.5” bet is priced at 1.70 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and 1.73 on Snai.
- GOLDBET – Up to €3050 for sports and casino with 200% on your first sports deposit up to €1000 MORE INFO
- SNAI – €15 free + 50% on your first deposit up to €30 MORE INFO
- LOTTOMATICA – Up to €3050 for sports and casino with 200% on your first sports deposit up to €1000 MORE INFO
Prediction
The score was perhaps a little too harsh on Panathinaikos in the first leg, with the Green-Whites only failing to find the back of the Rangers’ net by pure chance. The feeling is that things will be different this time around: we are confident that Rui Vitoria’s side will score at least one goal in a match that will see more than two goals in total.
Probable line-ups for Panathinaikos-Rangers
PANATHINAIKOS (4-2-3-1): Michael; Bruno, Luckassen, Goldar, Bruno Langa; Pepe, Sunjic; Correia, Dragomir, Orsic; Anderson Silva.
RANGERS (4-2-3-1): Gerafi; Asante, Shlomo, Stojic, Revivo; Sissokho, Shahar; Davida, Peretz, Patati; Turgeman.