Chelsea is aiming for their second consecutive win in the 2024-25 Conference League as they travel to Greece to take on Panathinaikos at Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis on Thursday evening.
The Blues kicked off their league phase with a 4-2 victory over Gent at Stamford Bridge three weeks ago, while Panathinaikos settled for a 1-1 draw against Bosnian side Borac Banja Luka.
After a solid run in the Premier League, where Chelsea collected 14 points from six unbeaten matches, they faced a setback last weekend, losing 2-1 to league leaders Liverpool at Anfield.
Nicolas Jackson scored an equalizer early in the second half after Mohamed Salah's penalty had given Liverpool the lead. However, Curtis Jones quickly restored Liverpool's advantage, sealing Chelsea’s first away league defeat of the season.
Despite the loss, head coach Enzo Maresca expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, describing it as "one of the best of the season," and emphasized that they are moving in the "right direction."
Currently sitting sixth in the Premier League, just three points off the top four, Chelsea is preparing for upcoming matches against Newcastle United and Manchester United. But first, they need to focus on the Conference League and their first-ever meeting with Panathinaikos.
Chelsea has a strong record against Greek teams in European competitions, having never lost, with four wins and two draws. Notably, both draws occurred on Greek soil: a goalless draw against Olympiacos in the 2007-08 Champions League and a 1-1 draw with Aris Thessaloniki in the 1970-71 Cup Winners' Cup.
On the other hand, Panathinaikos ended a three-match winless streak with a 1-0 away victory over OFI in the Greek Super League last weekend. This match was especially emotional for the team, as it was dedicated to George Baldock, who recently passed away at the age of 31.
Brazilian winger Tete scored the only goal just six minutes into the match, earning the Greens their third win of the season and moving them up to sixth place in the league, five points behind joint-leaders Aris Thessaloniki and PAOK after eight matches.
Coach Diego Alonso's side will have one eye on their upcoming league fixture against Aris on Sunday, but first, they must focus on the challenging midweek clash with Chelsea, their toughest opponent in this season’s league phase.
Panathinaikos will be looking to leverage home advantage, having lost only five of their 23 home matches in 2024. They are currently on a four-match unbeaten streak at Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis, with their most recent match being a 0-0 draw against reigning Conference League champions Olympiacos.
However, their record against English teams has been poor, with only one win in their last 18 encounters in European competitions, alongside six draws and 11 losses. The last English team they faced was Tottenham Hotspur, where they lost 3-1 in the 2012-13 Europa League group stage, although they managed a 1-1 draw at home against Spurs earlier that season.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Panathinaikos will be without captain Fotis Ioannidis due to an adductor injury, and Dimitris Limnios, Zeca, and Tonny Vilhena are also unavailable as they weren't included in the club's Conference League squad.
Andraz Sporar is a doubt after missing last weekend's victory over OFI because of illness, which means Alexander Jeremejeff may lead the attack. He'll likely have support from former Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri, Anastasios Bakasetas, and Filip Duricic.
In goal, Polish keeper Bartlomiej Dragowski is expected to start, shielded by a back four of Giannis Kotsiras, Tin Jedvaj, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, and Filip Mladenovic. In central midfield, Adam Gnezda Cerin could be joined by either Nemanja Maksimovic, Willian Arao, or Azzedine Ounahi.
For Chelsea, Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, and Wesley Fofana will miss out as they are not part of the Conference League squad. Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is hopeful of recovering from a head injury in time for Thursday's match, with his status to be assessed before kickoff.
Manager Enzo Maresca plans to manage the minutes of captain Reece James, who made his first start of the season against Liverpool after a lengthy injury layoff. Axel Disasi or Malo Gusto could fill in at right-back instead.
Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku both scored in Chelsea's win over Gent and could return to the starting lineup. Joao Felix and Mykhaylo Mudryk are also in contention for attacking roles, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Cesare Casadei will be pushing for starting spots in midfield.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Panathinaikos possible starting lineup:
Dragowski; Kotsiras, Jedvaj, Ingason, Mladenovic; Maksimovic, Cerin; Pellistri, Bakasetas, Duricic; Jeremejeff
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Jorgensen; Disasi, Tosin, Badiashile, Veiga; Casadei, Dewsbury-Hall; Neto, Felix, Mudryk; Nkunku
EXPERT PREDICTION
Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea
Chelsea will be seen as strong favorites to win Thursday's match, even though Maresca is likely to make some changes to the lineup. While Panathinaikos shouldn’t be underestimated, we still anticipate that the Premier League team will come out on top in Greece.
