Panathinaikos v Ajax

Panathinaikos vs Ajax Preview

The domestic Greek top flight season has yet to begin but nevertheless, Panathinaikos will be pleased with how the previous qualifying round went in this season's Europa League as the Greek club registered home and away wins against Bulgarian outfit, Botev Plovdiv, while Ajax extended their winning streak to six games courtesy of home and away wins against Serbian side Vojvodina in the 2nd qualifying round of this competition.

Panathinaikos ended last season in fourth place in the Greek Championship Round after the Super League split into two at the end of the regular season, and they narrowly missed out on a place in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers by a margin of just two points to Olympiakos - but better things lay in store for Panathinaikos.

The Greek hosts registered a 1-0 win over Aris in the final of the Greek Cup to win their spot in the Europa League qualifiers and since that win, Diego Alonso's side have won their last four matches on the trot.

Back-to-back wins in pre-season friendlies against AEK Larnaca and Maccabi Netanya were followed by a 2-1 at home in the 1st leg against Botev Plovdiv, then a resounding 4-0 win away from home in the return leg, handing Panathinaikos a 6-1 win on aggregate in the previous round of the Europa League qualifiers.

Ajax also progressed from the 2nd qualifying round of the Europa League as the Dutch side recorded a 4-1 win on aggregate against Vojvodina thanks to a 1-0 win at home in the 1st leg before achieving a 3-1 win in the return leg in Serbia, so they too will be in confident mood as they prepare for this upcoming trip to the Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis.

The Dutch visitors bring an impressive six-match winning streak into this upcoming 1st leg tie as Francesco Farioli's side have captured wins in pre-season against the likes of Sint-Truiden, Rangers, Al Wasl and Olympiakos, along with the home and away wins against Vojvodina.

The bigger picture shows Ajax have suffered just one defeat in their last 12 matches in all competitions whilst collecting nine wins in the process, and it is also interesting to note that seven of these previous 12 games also resulted in both teams hitting the back of the net as well.

In addition, six of Panathinaikos's last 10 home games at their Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis have also seen both teams score and this trend may continue here on Thursday night as well.

Panathinaikos v Ajax Verdict

Both Panathinaikos and Ajax have produced some encouraging results at the start of their respective campaigns and as a result, both teams look likely to hit the back of the net in this 1st leg tie which could also end in a score-draw.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 1.61

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.30

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 6.50