Panathinaikos vs Real Betis Preview & Prediction | 2025-26 UEFA Europa League | Round of 16
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Greek giants Panathinaikos will be expected to provide a stubborn test to last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League runners’ up Real Betis in Athens this midweek.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised
How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / US – DAZN & Paramount+
Key stats
- This the first UEFA match between Panathinaikos and Real Betis.
- Panathinaikos have won only one of their last 18 UEFA matches against Spanish opposition (D3 L14). Their sole success in that run came in their most recent home meeting, a 2-0 win over Villarreal in the 2023/24 Europa League group stage.
- Panathinaikos have lost all their seven previous UEFA two-legged ties against Spanish teams.
- Panathinaikos are appearing in a the UEFA Europa League round of 16 for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign, when their run ended in a 4–1 aggregate defeat to Standard de Liège.
- Panathinaikos are aiming to become the first Greek team to reach the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League quarter‑finals since the 2002/03 season, when they themselves fell 2-1 on aggregate to Porto in the last eight.
- Panathinaikos have lost only two of their last 15 UEFA matches (W4 D9). They are unbeaten in the seven most recent (W2 D5) and come into this tie on a run of five consecutive draws.
- Panathinaikos have lost only one of their last 12 UEFA home matches (W6 D5).
- Panathinaikos are unbeaten in their last seven matches in all competitions (W4 D3), winning each of the three most recent.
- Andreas Tetteh scored in both legs of Panathinaikos’s knockout play‑off tie against Viktoria Plzeň, netting three goals across the two matches.
- Real Betis have played only three previous UEFA matches against Greek opposition. They met Olympiacos twice in the 2018/19 Europa League group stage, drawing 0-0 in Greece and winning 1-0 at home, and on Matchday 7 of this season’s Europa League they lost 2-0 away to PAOK.
- Real Betis are aiming to reach the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League quarter‑finals for the first time. This is their fourth round of 16 tie in the Europa League era, the most recent coming in 2022/23 when they lost 5-1 on aggregate to Manchester United.
- Real Betis have won their last five UEFA two-legged ties.
- Real Betis have lost only two of their last 15 UEFA competition matches (W8 D5). They have been beaten just once in eight games this season (W5 D2), with four wins in their last five (L1).
Panathinaikos vs Real Betis prediction
Rafa Benitez is staving off pressure for his job in Greece with Panathinaikos having just about, and perhaps surprisingly, seen off Viktoria Plzen in the knockout playoff round. They have also discovered some form domestically of late, too, with a 3-1 win against Aris Thessaloniki, a 4-1 defeat of OFI Crete and then a 4-1 win against Levadiakos.
Real Betis, on the other hand, are in some very dodgy form of late with a bit of pressure now continuing to grow on Manuel Pellegrini. Los Verdiblancos succumbed to a 2-0 loss to Getafe in their most recent outing after giving up a two-goal lead against arch-rivals Sevilla and the Andalusians are in generally average form.
With a newfound confidence and home advantage, Panathinaikos may be more proactive than is to be usually expected, but Betis will remain a constant threat, despite their dip in form, and so both teams scoring seems a good bet in the first-leg of this green and white derby.
Panathinaikos vs Real Betis tip: Both teams to score
