In the second leg of their Europa League second-round qualifying clash, Greek giants Panathinaikos will travel to Stadion Hristo Botev on Thursday to face Botev Plovdiv of Bulgaria.
Last week's first leg in Athens saw Panathinaikos secure a 2-1 victory. Goals from Swedish striker Alexander Jeremejeff and experienced Greek playmaker Anastasios Bakasetas, who scored from the penalty spot, put the Greek side two goals ahead by halftime.
However, a 71st-minute goal from Slovenian midfielder Alen Korosec gave Botev Plovdiv a lifeline, making the return leg more intriguing. Moreover, some controversial referee decisions denied Botev Plovdiv at least one clear penalty.
Botev Plovdiv, who won the Bulgarian Cup last season, aims to overturn the 2-1 deficit. They have a rich history in the UEFA Cup from the 1980s and 1990s but have never reached the Europa League group stage. Their best runs in recent years saw them reach the third qualifying round in 2013 and 2017.
This season, they progressed to the second round by edging out Slovenian giants Maribor 4-3 on aggregate in the first round. Botev Plovdiv claimed a 2-1 home win over Maribor in the previous round and then earned a 2-2 draw at Ljudski Vrt in the second leg.
Most importantly, Botev Plovdiv will have the opportunity to host their home matches at their new stadium, unlike their previous European matches over the past three decades.
Domestically, The Canaries have had a decent start to the Bulgarian First League season, earning four points from their opening two matches. They defeated Botev Vratsa and drew 2-2 with arch-rivals Lokomotiv Plovdiv last weekend.
Botev Plovdiv also emerged from the first leg without any new injuries. However, they will be without center-back Atanas Chernev and striker Georgi Nikolov, who is out for several weeks with torn ligaments.
Dusan Kerkez, whose contract has been extended following the club's Bulgarian Cup triumph last season, has some important decisions to make.
Nikola Iliev, a recent acquisition from Inter Milan, started and scored in the weekend's draw with Lokomotiv Plovdiv, securing his place in the starting XI for the second leg.
Christian Nwachukwu will also be pushing for a start here. The Nigerian teenager was the hero for Botev Plovdiv during their 2-2 draw at Maribor last month. He also delivered two assists to inspire The Yellow-Blacks' 3-1 victory at Botev Vratsa on the opening weekend of the First League campaign.
Boasting considerable Bundesliga experience, Anthony Ujah will be pivotal in Botev Plovdiv's European campaign. The 33-year-old Nigerian striker joined the Bulgarian Cup winners this summer, and he already scored in both Europa League matches against Maribor - trademark goals.
It remains to be seen whether summer signing Hans Christian Bernat will stay in goal after his error cost Botev Plovdiv the three points during Sunday night's derby against Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
Panathinaikos travels to neighboring Bulgaria on Thursday to face Botev Plovidv in a crucial UEFA Europa League 2nd qualifying round clash at Stadion Hristo Botev. Diego Alonso's side has a 2-1 advantage from the first leg and will be determined to defend it.
The Greens should be in high spirits, building on their strong finish to the 2023-24 domestic campaign and friendly wins against AEK Larnaca and Maccabi Netanya. Head coach Diego Alonso, who took over in the summer, wants to maintain his perfect start and guide Panathinaikos through this challenging away fixture.
The Greek side, which narrowly missed out on the Champions League group stage last season, has a solid European pedigree and has never been eliminated in the second round of Europa League qualifying.
Panathinaikos have no new injury or suspension concerns from the first leg. New signings George Baldock and Nemanja Maksimovic were on the bench last week and may feature more prominently in this match.
Dutch midfielder Tonny Vilhena was booed by the Panathinaikos supporters when he was substituted in the first leg, so it won't be surprising to see rotations in the middle. As a result, thesummer signing of Nemanja Maksimovic could get the nod over Vilhena.
Elsewhere, Brazilian winger Tete, who joined from Galatasaray on the day of the first leg, is expected to make his debut at some point. He could potentially replace Argentine winger Daniel Mancini on the right flank in Alonso's 4-2-3-1 setup.
Alexander Jeremejeff, who opened the scoring in the first game, should again lead the line in Plovdiv. The Swedish forward is in contention with his Slovenian counterpart, Andraz Sporar, who was only brought on as a late substitute in Athens last week.
Botev Plovdiv: Matvei Igonen - Nikolay Minkov, Antoine Conte, Joonas Tamm, Konstantinos Balogiannis - Antonio Perera, James Eto'o - Christian Nwachukwu, Ivelin Popov, Nikola Iliev - Anthony Ujah. (4-2-3-1)
Panathinaikos: Bartlomiej Dragowski - Georgios Vagiannidis, Bart Schenkeveld, Tin Jedvaj, Filip Mladenovic - Nemanja Maksimovic, Willian Arao - Daniel Mancini, Tasos Bakasetas, Filip Djuricic - Alexander Jeremejeff. (4-2-3-1)
Botev Plovdiv has shown both offensive and defensive vulnerabilities, with goals at both ends in all five of their competitive matches this season. Still, Dusan Kerkez's side might feel fairly confident following a promising second-half performance in the Greek capital last week.
On the other hand, Panathinaikos are well-positioned to exploit these weaknesses, and we anticipate they will be looking to defend their aggregate lead effectively, but they can also strike.
Overall, Panathinaikos is favored to advance by capitalizing on Botev Plovdiv's defensive frailties. Yet, the losing side may continue in the Europa Conference League.
