Ajax vs Panathinaikos Prediction and Betting Tips: Best bets for Europa League third qualifying round clash
A place in the Europa League play-offs is up for grabs tonight (Thursday, 7.15pm) when Ajax and Panathinaikos do battle at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
It's advantage Ajax following their 1-0 win in Greece last week, however, their lead is a slender one meaning there is all to play for in Amsterdam.
Ajax vs Panathinaikos Predictions
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Ajax claimed a narrow 1-0 win in the first-leg thanks to a first-half goal from Steven Berghuis.
Francesco Farioli's troops have won all four matches at the start of the new season - plus their last four in pre-season - including three straight wins in Europe. Should they avoid defeat on home soil, they will book their place in the play-off round of the competition.
Panathinaikos began the season with back-to-back wins over Bulgarian side Botev Plovdiv in the previous round, but faltered in front of goal at home to Ajax.
Ajax have been installed as the 8/13 favourites, Panathinaikos can be backed at 14/5, while a draw is available at 14/5 (all in 90 minutes with BoyleSports).
Ajax endured a 2023/24 season to forget. In the Eredivisie, they finished down in 5th - their lowest standing in 24 years - 35 points behind champions PSV, while they crashed out of the KNVB Cup in the second round and failed to progress from the Europa League group stages.
Ajax had three different head coaches - Maurice Steijn, Hedwiges Maduro, and John van 't Schip - in what was a chaotic campaign, but they have enjoyed a bright start under new incumbent Francesco Farioli, formerly of Nice, who has delivered four wins from four matches so far, including a 1-0 win over Panathinaikos in last week's third round first-leg.
It's the first time in 22 years that Ajax have triumphed in their opening four games and I'm expecting the Dutch side to extend this winning streak to five on Thursday night, with BoyleSports handing the hosts of 8/13 to seal the deal and set up a play-off clash against either Bodo/Glimt or Jagiellonia Bialystok.
It's worth noting that Boylesports will settle your bet as a winner if the team you back goes two goals ahead, even if they end up drawing or losing the match.
Last season, Farioli's Nice conceded just 29 league goals - the fewest in Ligue 1 - with the club's defence breached just 11 times on home soil.
So far this term, Farioli has got his tactics spot on with three of Ajax's four wins have been to nil, which highlights a significant early improvement from a defensive perspective; Ajax leaked in a staggering 61 league goals last term.
With this in mind, I've entered the correct score market, where the 7/1 stands out for another 1-0 Ajax win, a bet which has landed three times already this season, including in the first-leg.
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