Panathinaikos’ European journey this season has been far from straightforward, missing out on the top eight in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League by just one point despite winning their last three games to stay in contention. The Greek outfit also had to come from behind to win their play-off tie against Vikingur Reykjavik, but having done so, they are now in the last 16 of a UEFA competition for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign.
Rui Vitória’s side endured a brief slump in early February, suffering three consecutive competitive defeats, all away from home. However, they have since bounced back, winning three of their last four matches (L1). Needing to capitalise on home advantage in the first leg, Panathinaikos can take confidence from an impressive 14-game unbeaten streak at the Olympic Stadium (W11, D3), where they have lost just three times all season (W15, D4).
Fiorentina, the visitors on Thursday night, will not have fond memories of Athens, having lost last season’s Conference League final to Olympiacos in the Greek capital. While this will be their first-ever meeting with Panathinaikos, the Lilies have won just one of their six previous encounters with Greek sides (D3, L2), suggesting history is not in their favour.
Aiming to reach a third consecutive Conference League final after finishing as runners-up in the previous two editions, Raffaele Palladino’s side automatically qualified for the last 16 by finishing third in the league phase (W4, D1, L1). However, their current form is concerning, with just four wins from their last 14 matches across all competitions (D3, L7).
Players to Watch: Filip Mladenović has been booked 13 times across all competitions this season, with eight of those yellow cards coming in the second half. Meanwhile, Robin Gosens has contributed to nine goal involvements for Fiorentina (G4, A5), with five of those occurring during or before the 35th minute.
Hot Stat: Panathinaikos have won only six of their 22 encounters with Italian sides (D6, L10).
