Preview: Real Betis vs Panathinaikos – prediction, team news, lineups

Real Betis will welcome Panathinaikos to La Cartuja for Thursday’s Europa League final-16 conflict.

The Greek facet carry a slim lead into the second leg after claiming a 1-0 victory in final week’s assembly in Athens.

Match preview

Betis are competing within the final 16 after ending in fourth place within the league section with 5 wins, two attracts and only one defeat from their eight matches.

However, they fell to their second lack of the primary attract final week’s first leg in opposition to Panathinaikos, leaving them with work to do if they’re to maintain their hopes alive of going deep into one other European competitors after finishing as the Conference League runners-up final time period.

Los Verdiblancos adopted that outcome with a 1-1 attract Sunday’s La Liga house conflict in opposition to sixth-positioned Celta Vigo, conserving them three factors away from the Galician facet within the battle for fifth spot.

While they might have averted defeat, the outcome made it 5 consecutive matches and not using a win since recording again-to-again victories over Atletico Madrid and Mallorca.

Having mustered only one objective of their final three outings, Betis must rediscover their goalscoring contact if they’re to stay within the hunt for his or her first European trophy.

The hosts can not less than take confidence from the very fact they’ve gained every of their earlier three Europa League house video games in opposition to Lyon, Utrecht and Feyenoord.

© Imago / One Inch Productions

In distinction to Betis, Panathinaikos needed to negotiate a knockout playoff spherical tie in opposition to Viktoria Plzen after they completed in seventeenth spot within the league section.

The Greek giants drew each legs in opposition to Plzen earlier than they held their nerve to win 4-3 within the subsequent penalty shootout within the Czech Republic.

Rafael Benitez‘s facet will hope to keep away from the lottery of penalties in Thursday’s fixture, with the guests boasting a slender benefit from a dramatic first leg that produced two purple playing cards.

Anass Zaroury was dismissed for 2 bookable offences simply shy of the hour mark, earlier than Betis defender Diego Llorente gave away a late penalty that resulted in a second yellow card and allowed Vicente Taborda to win the sport from the spot. 

Panathinaikos adopted that profitable outcome with a irritating goalless attract Sunday’s Greek Super League conflict with Panetolikos, though they not less than prolonged their unbeaten run to 9 matches in all competitions.

While that run will give them confidence, Panathinaikos know they nonetheless have loads of work to do to succeed in their first European quarter-last because the 2002-03 UEFA Cup, particularly as they’ve misplaced 14 of their final 19 European conferences with Spanish opposition (W2, D3). 

Real Betis Europa League kind:

W W W L W W 

Real Betis kind (all competitions):

W D D L L D

Panathinaikos Europa League kind:

D D D D W W

Panathinaikos kind (all competitions):

W W W W W D

Team News

© Imago / IMAGO / Pressinphoto

Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini stays with out the companies of Giovani Lo Celso and Isco because of thigh and ankle accidents respectively. 

Llorente is suspended for Thursday’s fixture after being proven his first purple card in a Betis shirt within the first leg in Greece.

Pellegrini is ready to make a lot of adjustments from the facet that began in opposition to Celta, with Pau Lopez, Ricardo Rodriguez, Sergi Altimira and Antony all in competition to start out the second leg.

As for the guests, Zaroury will serve a one-match ban after being given his marching orders in final week’s first leg.

Panathinaikos are additionally anticipated to be with out Giannis Kotsiras and Erik Palmer-Brown because of damage.

Moussa Sissoko, Tonny Vilhena, Adriano Jagusic, Pavlos Pantelidis and Lucas Chaves aren’t included within the Europa League squad and are subsequently ineligible to characteristic. 

Real Betis attainable beginning lineup:

Lopez; Ruibal, Bartra, Natan, Rodriguez; Roca, Altimira; Antony, Fornals, Abde; Cucho 

Panathinaikos attainable beginning lineup:

Lafont; Katris, Ingason, Touba; Calabria, Sanches, Gnezda Cerin, Kyriakopoulos; Pellistri, Taborda; Tetteh 

We say: Real Betis 2-0 Panathinaikos (Betis to win 2-1 on mixture)

Betis could also be taking part in at a short lived house whereas redevelopment work goes on on the Benito Villamarin, however they’ve made La Cartuja one thing of a fortress in Europe this season, and we expect they’ll make full use of house benefit to show the final-16 tie of their favour. 

For knowledge evaluation of the more than likely outcomes, scorelines and extra for this match please click here.