Chelsea have never lost to Greek opposition in six previous meetings, so will they leave the Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium with all three points?
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea Preview
Can tournament-favourites Chelsea make it two wins out of two in the UEFA Conference League? Three weeks ago, the Blues began this league phase campaign with an entertaining 4-2 home win over Gent, in which Renato Veiga, Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku and then Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were all on target.
In the past, Chelsea have won two Champions Leagues, two Europa Leagues, two Cup Winners' Cups as well as the UEFA Super Cup twice, widely-expected to add more continental silverware to their cabinet in Wrocław come May. As they travel to Athens however, Enzo Maresca's side will be seeking to get back to winning ways, seeing their seven-match unbeaten streak to come an end at Anfield last Sunday, beaten 2-1 by Liverpool. So, will a much-changed Blues' side be able to silence a huge, partisan crowd in the Greek capital?
As for Panathinaikos, they currently have a point on the board, held to a 1-1 draw by Borac Banja Luka in Bosnia on matchday one; Anastasios Bakasetas the scorer. Back in July, the Greens commenced their campaign in Europa League qualifying, comfortably dumping out Botev Plovdiv, before a 13-12 (no that's not a typo) penalty shootout defeat to Ajax, with Diego Alonso's side then needing to upset the odds by ousting Lens in the play-offs just to make it this far.
Panathinaikos are 20-times champions of Greece, but have not won the title since 2010, featuring in 18 UEFA group stages in their history, ten of which have come at Champions League level, although this is only their second appearance for seven seasons. The 1971 European Cup Finalists are very much one of Europe's fallen-giants, and they haven't hosted a European night quite as big as this for a while, so can they claim a famous win at their temporary home of the Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium?
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea Head-to-Head Record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Panathinaikos Team News
Diego Alonso's squad is depleted; star striker Andraž Šporar is a doubt, having sat out Sunday's win at OFI Crete due to illness, captain Fotis Ioannidis is injured while Benjamin Verbič, Zeca, Rubén Pérez, Erik Palmer-Brown and László Kleinheisler are amongst those not included in the UEFA squad. One man who will feature is Anastasios Bakasetas, donning the armband having helped Greece to victory at Wembley a fortnight ago. Goalkeeper Bartłomiej Drągowski has made 15 saves across his last three European appearances and will need to be at his best here too if his team stand any chance.
Panathinaikos predicted lineup vs Chelsea: (4-2-3-1): Drągowski; Kotsiras, Jedvaj, Ingi Ingason, Mladenović; Gnezda Čerin, Arão, Pellistri, Bakasetas, Đuričić; Jeremejeff.
Panathinaikos Player to Watch vs Chelsea
Facundo Pellistri, who joined from Manchester United for £5 million this summer, will be desperate to showcase what he can do, having scored his first goal for the club during the famous play-off round victory over Lens.
Chelsea Team News
Enzo Maresca has made the full 11 changes for previous Conference League fixtures and, with Newcastle to come on Sunday, is expected to continue that theme. First and foremost, Ben Chilwell, Roméo Lavia and Cole Palmer cannot feature as they are not in the UEFA squad. In goal meantime, Filip Jörgensen has started all three European games so far and is expected to maintain that record, despite missing Sunday's trip to Anfield injured. Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana were unable to feature against Liverpool either due to injury, so could see some minutes here although Reece James won't, having made his first appearance since May, he's currently only fit enough to play once a week. Neither Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall nor João Félix even got off the bench at the weekend, but both will come into the side here.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Panathinaikos: (4-2-3-1): Jörgensen; Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Veiga; Fernández, Dewsbury-Hall, Neto, João Félix, Mudryk; Nkunku.
Chelsea Players to Watch vs Panathinaikos
Christopher Nkunku has scored in all three UEFA Conference League fixtures so far, netting seven goals already this season overall, so can he keep that streak going in Athens?
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea Prediction
We're backing a second-string Chelsea to win this one, even if it won't be easy. The Blues have so much quality in their squad that they should be able to take care of business, even if this will be the biggest game these Panathinaikos supporters have seen for some time: Panathinaikos 1-2 Chelsea.
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea FAQs - Conference League
How to watch Panathinaikos vs Chelsea Conference League game on TV channel?
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea Conference League game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1
- USA: Paramount+ & ViX.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Panathinaikos vs Chelsea Conference League game on live streaming?
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea Conference League game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+ & ViX.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Panathinaikos vs Chelsea in the Conference League?
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea takes place on Thursday 24 October 2024, with kick off at 17:45 (BST), 12:45 (ET) & 9:45 (PDT).