The second leg of the 2024/25 Conference League playoff between Panathinaikos (Greece) and Vikingur Reykjavik (Iceland) will take place on February 20 at the Spiros Louis Stadium in Athens. The score from the first match is 2-1 in favor of Vikingur Reykjavik. Panathinaikos vs. Vikingur Reykjavik: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Panathinaikos
Rui Vitoria's side lost 1-2 away, ending their three-match winning streak in the Conference League. However, Panathinaikos managed to score in their tenth consecutive match in this European competition. To advance to the next round, the Greeks need to win by at least two goals. Notably, the club last reached the round of 16 in any European competition in the 2009/10 season.
- The team has not lost in regular time in 4 of their last 5 home matches in the Conference League (3 wins, 1 draw).
- The club has kept a clean sheet in 3 of their last 4 home games in this European competition.
- The Greeks have not scored more than one goal in regular time in 5 of their last 7 Conference League matches.
Predicted lineup for Panathinaikos (4-3-3)
Yuri Lodygin – Sverrir Ingason, Erik Palmer-Brown, Giannis Kotsiras, Filip Mladenovic – Anastasios Bakasetas, Nemanja Maksimovic, Emmanouil Siopis – Daniel Mancini, Alexandar Jeremejeff, Filip Djuricic.
Midfielder Facundo Pellistri will not play due to injury.
Vikingur Reykjavik
Arnar Gunnlaugsson's side, by winning the first match, ended their three-match winless streak in the Conference League (2 draws, 1 loss). Moreover, Vikingur scored at least two goals for the sixth time in this European competition's current edition (including qualification). To advance to the next round, the Icelanders need not lose after 90 minutes, and in the event of a one-goal loss, extra time will be played. Notably, the club has never reached the round of 16 in any European competition before.
- The club has not won in regular time in 7 of their last 9 away matches in the Conference League (4 draws, 3 losses).
- No more than two goals have been scored in 90 minutes in 5 of their last 7 away games in this European competition.
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in regular time in 5 of the Icelanders' last 7 away matches in the Conference League.
Predicted lineup for Vikingur Reykjavik (4-2-3-1)
Ingvar Jonsson – Sveinn Gisli Thorkelsson, Daniel Hafsteinsson, Peter Ekrout, David Atlason – Aron Elis Thrandarson, Tarik Ibrahimagic – Valdimar Ingimundarson, Ari Sigurpálsson, Erlingur Agnarsson – Helgi Gudjonsson.
Referee
Rade Obrenovic (Slovenia)
Matches – 8 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 30;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.4;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 20%.
Panathinaikos vs. Vikingur Reykjavik: Match Prediction
Considering the outcome of the first match, the Greeks will likely try to exert significant pressure on the Icelandic defense from the start. However, Panathinaikos has not been particularly impressive in attack even at home: in their last five home matches in the Conference League, the team only scored more than two goals once, in a game against Dinamo Minsk, who collected only three points in the group stage. Meanwhile, in 3 of their last 4 home matches in this tournament, the Greeks kept a clean sheet.
The Icelanders have previously favored a defensive approach in away games, and they have every reason to do so now. In this Conference League edition, including qualification, Vikingur conceded more than one goal in only one of their six away matches and kept a clean sheet three times. At the same time, the club scores very little: just one goal in their last four away games in this European competition.
I do not expect this to be a high-scoring encounter. My prediction: Total under 3.5 goals
