Panathinaikos – Real Betis: a stern European test for Athens’ Shamrock 
The Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium lights up this Thursday for the return of European nights. Panathinaikos host Real Betis in the Europa League round-of-16 first leg. The home side earned their spot the hard way, surviving the play-offs and only squeezing past Viktoria Plzen on penalties. Betis travel with far more calm — they qualified directly via the group stage and have the feel of a side that knows how to handle continental ties. This clash will throw two very different styles at each other.
Panathinaikos’ ambition hit by European doubt 
Domestically, Panathinaikos are flying. Rafael Benitez’s men thumped Levadiakos 4-1 and look confident in the league. Europe tells a different story. Their last five matches in this competition all finished level. A chronic lack of cutting edge at home worries the coaching staff ahead of a test against a side used to big European nights. Their attack will have to reproduce domestic form if they’re to upset the established order.
Betis’ continental authority
The Seville outfit pretty much bossed the early part of their campaign. Manuel Pellegrini’s team picked up 17 points to seal fourth in the group and have shown they raise their level for Europe. They’ve slipped domestically — a recent 2-0 defeat to Getafe proves that — but in the Europa League they’ve won four of their last five ties. Pellegrini won’t forget their last trip to Greece either: PAOK Thessaloniki delivered Betis’ only European defeat this season.
Probable lineups
Panathinaikos : Lafont ; Katris, Jedvaj, Ingason ; Calabria, Kontouris, Gnezda Cerin, Kyriakopoulos ; Taborda, Zaroury ; Tetteh
Real Betis : Valles ; Firpo, Gomez, Bartra, Ortiz ; Deossa, Altimira, Fornals ; Ezzalzouli, Hernandez, Avila
Football Prediction Panathinaikos vs Real Betis
Both teams to score
Panathinaikos roll into this on a wave of domestic confidence, but the jump to a Europa League round of 16 first leg could expose the squad’s present limits.
Real Betis control the continental tempo thanks to an experienced midfield and a coach who knows these evenings inside out. The Spaniards have a clear technical edge.
Both sides have enough attacking quality to make this a match full of chances.
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