Panathinaikos – Viktoria Plzen: Greek patience meets a Czech brick wall 
A tense game. Not a goal-fest. Not a pitch full of space. Think chess under heat. Thursday night in Marousi, Panathinaikos host Viktoria Plzen for the first leg of this Europa League tie — two months on from a dull 0-0 that left no winners and no memories. Tight games like this swing on a sliver. Both teams know that. Both are hunting the sliver.
Panathinaikos: possession without bite 
Shots, the ball, intent. No wins. In the first meeting, the Greeks bossed possession and did nothing with it. That night sums up their European campaign. Three draws to finish the group, a 20th-place tag, and a tie reached without inspiring confidence. Rafael Benitez’s side drifts between control and bluntness. Lately they score too little and concede too easily.
Two wins in their last nine across all competitions. Seven goals scored, ten conceded. At home the spark’s gone — one win in the last four home games. Still, Pana know continental nights. They’ve been in Champions League quarters and semis in their history and reached the Conference League last 16 last season. They can handle the pressure. They just need to find the cutting edge.
Viktoria Plzen: the art of not folding 
They don’t sparkle. They don’t collapse. Plzen might be the toughest team to break in this Europa League. Undefeated in the main phase: three wins, five draws, only three goals conceded. Nobody’s been better at the back in Europe this season. That stat tells you almost everything.
Form is solid: nine matches unbeaten in all comps, four wins on the spin, including a road win at Basel and another last weekend at Olomouc. Away from home the Czechs have started to play with confidence. Their flaw is turning draws into wins. For an away first leg, that weakness can actually play into their hands.
Probable lineups
Panathinaikos : Lafont ; Katris, Jedvaj, Palmer-Brown ; Calabria, Cerin, Bakasetas, Hernandez ; Taborda, Andino ; Tetteh
Viktoria Plzen : Wiegele ; Memic, Krcik, Jemelka, Doski ; Cerv, Hrosovsky ; Souare, Ladra, Visinsky ; Vydra
Football Prediction Panathinaikos vs Viktoria Plzen
Panathinaikos to win
Expect few goals. Expect caution. Plzen will shut lanes, slow the game and try to take the tie back home. But European experience and a noisy crowd can be enough. Tight match, decided by one moment. Maybe a late strike. On nights like this, home advantage often beats form, and it serves Panathinaikos.
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