Champions League, Qualification, 2nd Round, First Leg, Tuesday, 22.07.2025 at 20:45
These are two big names. Two clubs that both definitely deserve to be in the Champions League group stage. But two teams that know that only one of them will survive this second qualifying round!
Admittedly, from a purely sporting perspective, many qualifying matches in July don’t have the potential to be blockbusters. However, in my Rangers vs. Panathinaikos prediction, we have two teams that bring a lot of quality to the table. Accordingly, there’s only one thing for me to do: search for facts that support the logical bet “Both teams to score”!
As a Glasgow Rangers fan, life is often not easy. Last season, it was clear that second place in the league was not in danger, but arch-rivals Celtic quickly pulled away.
Fortunate are those who know early on that the title will go elsewhere anyway – they can afford a few less successful results, of course. But the team made people sit up and take notice with their quarter-final appearance in the Europa League.
They knocked out Fenerbahce but were defeated by Spanish top club Athletic Bilbao (0-0 and 0-2). Glasgow had actually been dreaming of the Champions League in 2024/25, but their qualifying campaign came to an end at the very start.
Why am I mentioning this so explicitly? Because back then, just like now, they started in the second round. 1-1 and 0-2, Dynamo Kiev proved too strong a year ago. A year before that, Rangers were unable to get the better of Eindhoven.
The new season in the Scottish Premier League has not yet begun, so it is too early to talk about a rhythm. A lot has changed at Rangers, with Russell Martin taking over as head coach.
Loan player Oscar Cortes has been signed on a permanent deal, while Thelo Aasgaard and Emmanuel Fernandez are also joining the team. What can we take away from the recent friendly against Bruges?
The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Of course, one result doesn’t mean much. What’s more interesting is the fact that a first leg in the Champions League qualifiers can set the tone for the rest of the campaign.
This means that the last six first legs of the round that meant the end of the road (in 2022/23, the playoffs were survived) were not won. Only once in these six seasons has a team been able to come back after a draw or a defeat.
On the other hand, they haven’t been eliminated in the second round since 2008/09, when Rangers were knocked out by FBK Kaunas. No matter how I look at it, there aren’t many clues as to their current form.
Our bookmakers’ assessment is correspondingly interesting. If you want to bet on the winner of Tuesday’s match, you’ll find average odds of 1.80 to 4.00.
Glasgow is the clear favorite, as the visitors are well aware. Panathinaikos Athens, reigning Greek vice-champions, have been waiting since 2010/11 to finally play in the Champions League group stage again.
They came close in 2023/24, but lost 1-2 and 0-1 to Braga in the playoffs. Interesting fact: Only once in the club’s history, in the 1998/99 season, did they fail to progress beyond the second qualifying round.
Panathinaikos did not have a weak international campaign last season, narrowly failing to qualify for the Conference League after losing to Fiorentina.
As the Greek league has not yet started, I will focus on the friendly matches, of which there are significantly more. Exciting: These included a 0-0 draw against Schalke 04.
The Green-Whites also won 3-0 against Mentalist Charkiw and 3-1 against Westerlo. The only defeat was a 1-2 loss to Braga, an opponent that Panathinaikos simply does not seem to get along with.
I can’t list any notable departures, nor can I name any big names among the new signings. So the core of the team has stayed together.
Of course, I’ll now take a brief look back at history. Panathinaikos and Rangers have played each other four times, with three draws and no winners! The Scots have not won any of the matches.
In general, it is certainly not an advantage that they now have to play against a club from Greece. Nine games, one win – Panathinaikos is definitely not a positive omen!
Both Glasgow Rangers and Panathinaikos Athens would do well in the Champions League group stage. Based purely on experience, the Scots have had more to offer in recent years.
However, they did not have a particularly strong season in 2024/25 and failed to match Celtic’s performances. Ultimately, I see a duel coming our way on Tuesday in which no one has the upper hand at first glance.
As a result, I’m going to stick with the betting classics. Since it’s early in the season and both sides are likely to be looking for their rhythm, my prediction is:
Both teams to score!
