Botev Plovdiv vs Panathinaikos - Europa League
In the first leg, the Greek team secured a 2-1 victory at home. Therefore, Panathinaikos will advance to the Europa League if they achieve another win or even a draw. Botev Plovdiv needs to win by a two-goal margin to progress, while a victory by a single goal will push the match into 30 minutes of extra time. A tie at the end of extra time will lead to a penalty shootout to determine the winner.
Botev Plovdiv and Panathinaikos are now in the second phase of the four-stage qualification process for the Europa League. The winner of this round will face either Ajax from the Netherlands or Vojvodina from Serbia in the semi-finals. The prediction leans towards a Panathinaikos victory for this second leg in the Europa League 2024/2025 quarter-final qualifiers. In the over/under goals market, the recommendation is to wager on over 2.5 goals.
Predictions for Botev Plovdiv vs Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos to Win
Botev Plovdiv has completed their first five matches of the new season, securing two victories, two draws, and one loss. Panathinaikos played their first official game of the 2024/2025 season against the Bulgarian side in the first leg. Therefore, improvement is expected both technically and physically. The recommendation for this Thursday’s rematch in the Europa League qualification is to bet on a Panathinaikos victory.
Over/Under Goals – Over 2.5 Goals Scored
With the disadvantage and playing at home, Botev Plovdiv will be compelled to adopt a more aggressive approach to avoid elimination. This will be against a technically superior Panathinaikos. Thus, when considering the over/under goals market for an additional prediction in this Thursday’s second leg of the Europa League qualifiers, the recommendation is on the option of over 2.5 goals scored.
Latest News and Statistics about Botev Plovdiv
On Sunday, July 28, Botev Plovdiv faced a local derby. As hosts, they ended in a 2-2 draw with Lokomotiv Plovdiv during the second round of the 2024/2025 Parva Liga, the top tier of the Bulgarian Championship. They left the field feeling they could have won.
Possessing the ball for 56% of the match, the team created more plays that resulted in scoring opportunities (10 to 7), performing exceptionally well with shots on target (7 to 2).
It only took 17 minutes for Botev Plovdiv to take the lead. This was accomplished by Iliev, who received a pass from Akere before finishing. In the second half, Lokomotiv Plovdiv equalized at the 11-minute mark through Ntelo. The sequence repeated itself. By the 27th minute, Ukaki put the home team ahead once again with help from Balogiannis. However, the victory was thwarted by Lamy’s goal in the 47th minute.
Latest News and Statistics on Panathinaikos
Following four preparatory friendlies (two wins, one draw, and one loss), Panathinaikos did not deliver an outstanding performance against Botev Plovdiv in the first leg of the Europa League 2024/2025 quarter-final qualifiers. However, a 2-1 victory was sufficient to gain an advantage in the contest. During the match, they controlled possession for 53% of the time, generating three times the chances for shots on goal (15 to 5) compared to the Bulgarian team.
There was, however, a lack of precision in their shots. The Greek team was inferior in the accuracy of their attempts (4 to 5). They gained the lead with a goal by Jeremejeff, who received a pass from Mladenovic, at the eight-minute mark. The lead was extended at the 44th minute through a penalty executed by Bakasetas. In the second half, Korosec narrowed the gap for the Bulgarian squad.
