Panathinaikos vs Samsunspor Prediction and Betting Tips

Panathinaikos will face Samsunspor at the Spiros Louis Olympic Stadium on Thursday in the first leg of their 2025-26 UEFA Europa League playoff round qualifying clash. The home side are yet to impress on the continental stage this season but remain well on course for a spot in the Europa League's league phase.

They began their push for continental football in the Champions League qualifiers last month but crashed out in the second round following a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Rangers. They then faced Shakhtar Donetsk in the previous round of the Europa League qualifiers, playing out a goalless draw across two legs before winning the tie on penalties.

Samsunspor enjoyed a remarkable campaign in the Turkish Super Lig last season, finishing third in the league table to secure a return to continental football for the first time since 1998.

The visitors have picked up where they left off in domestic action, most recently beating 10-man Kocaelispor 1-0 to make it two wins from two in the Turkish top-flight this term, and will hope they can find similar fortune on the continental stage this week.

Panathinaikos vs Samsunspor Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

Thursday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Panathinaikos and Samsunspor.
The hosts have had four competitive meetings against Turkish opposition. They have won one of those games, drawn one and lost the other two.
The visitors have had four meetings with Greek opposition in competitive action. They have won three of those games and lost the other.
Panathinaikos are set for their third consecutive season in a major European competition, while Samsunspor will make their debut either in the Europa or Conference League league phase this term.

Panathinaikos vs Samsunspor Prediction

Trifýlli have drawn their last three matches and have won just one of their last seven competitive games. They are winless in their last three competitive home games but remain the stronger side heading into the midweek clash.

Kırmızı Şimşekler, meanwhile, are undefeated in their last seven competitive outings, winning six times in that period. The gulf in class and quality between the two teams could, however, see the visitors lose on Thursday.

Prediction: Panathinaikos 2-1 Samsunspor

Panathinaikos vs Samsunspor Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Result: Panathinaikos to win

Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Five of the visitors' last seven matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)

Tip 3 - Both teams to score: YES (Both sides have found the back of the net in five of the visitors' last seven matches)

About the author

Jedidiah is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who has been covering match previews for more than 3 years. Currently pursuing an engineering degree from the University of Ibadan, he conducts thorough research and ensures to be up-to-date with football news across the globe to create the most accurate previews.

A Manchester United fan, Jedidiah fell in love with football and the Red Devils since their UEFA Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008. He is a big fan of Robert Lewandowski and his historic performances from 2020, but feels that only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are capable of replicating the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. His all-time favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti due to the Italian's remarkable composure in difficult moments of a contest. Spain's 1-0 win over Netherlands in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is etched in his memory forever.

A true student of the game, Jedidiah relishes identifying hidden gems from lower-tiered leagues such as the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie. When not creating previews, he likes playing football and reading books.

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