Panathinaikos take on the visitors Lens in the second leg of final round of UEFA Conference League qualification. First leg result: 1-2. The match will be played on Thursday, August 29th at Olympic Stadium of Athens (Athens).
This season, Greek side Panathinaikos is under the guidance of a new coach, which means we can be somewhat lenient with their results so far. The team’s performances have been quite inconsistent. Their European journey began in the Europa League, where they managed to eliminate Bulgaria's Botev. They then had a nail-biting showdown with Dutch giants Ajax, a match that will be remembered for its record-breaking penalty shootout. However, the Greeks ultimately lost and found themselves in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers. As for the Greek Super League, which recently kicked off, Panathinaikos started with a loss to Asteras (0-1) and then secured a narrow win over Levadiakos (1-0). One thing is clear: the team’s form is still far from stable.
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As for French club Lens, this is their first stage of qualification, having skipped the previous rounds. They now have a great opportunity to reach the group stage of a European competition—albeit the third most prestigious one, but still valuable experience nonetheless. So far, Lens have been impressive, including in their domestic league. Ligue 1 has already begun, and Lens started brilliantly with two wins—against Angers (1-0) and Brest (2-0). It's also worth noting that they have yet to concede a goal—a fantastic result at the start of the season! However, not everything is completely smooth at Lens, as they are also undergoing a transition with the arrival of a new coach. But so far, everything looks great.
To recap, the first leg of this tie ended with a 1-0 victory for Lens. Panathinaikos had good chances to turn the tie in their favor, especially as their opponents played with ten men for an extended period due to a red card. However, the Greeks failed to capitalize on this advantage. Now, they must give everything in their home match to fight for a spot in the group stage. As mentioned earlier, Lens has started the season very convincingly, particularly with their solid defense (evidenced by zero goals conceded in three matches). Today, the French side simply needs to avoid defeat, and they have an excellent chance to do so. I believe that at some point, they could even play on the counterattack and punish Panathinaikos, who are likely to leave spaces open. I'm backing a Draw No Bet on the visitors; for those who like to take risks, Lens to win is also worth considering.
Prediction for the match: Lens to win.
