Europa League Quali, 3rd round, first leg, Thursday, 08.08.2024 at 20:00
Two teams unhappy with their recent seasons face off in Greece. Nothing less than keeping their Europa League hopes alive is at stake.
Panathinaikos (vs. Plovdiv) and Ajax (vs. Vojvodina) had little trouble in their second round matchups, qualifying for the third round with two wins each.
There I expect two fairly evenly matched teams in the first leg and can’t avoid a match combination in my Panathinaikos Ajax betting tip. My target is odds of 1.95 at Oddset for a “Double chance X2 & Over 1.5 goals”
In Amsterdam, those responsible are ready to break new ground. The signing of Francesco Farioli is a clear signal that de Godenzonen are rethinking their approach.
The 35-year-old was released by OGC Nice and is the first Ajax coach without a Dutch passport since 1998
His sometimes brilliant performances in Nice have caused a stir across Europe. With an interim unbeaten run of 13 matches, how could it have been otherwise?
Perhaps Farioli is currently on his way to a similar run at Ajax. Including the preparation, Ajax have won six matches in a row. I could well imagine an Ajax win bet for the odds of 3.00 in conjunction with a sports betting bonus
Too much euphoria for the visitors would be premature. If you prefer the home side from Greece, you will find the highest odds in the Bet365 app – at 2.25.
From my Panathinaikos Ajax betting tip, however, you can quickly see that I tend to see the visitors in a better position.
Nice operated in a kind of 4-3-3 system under Farioli last year, pressed opposing teams extremely man-oriented and provided one of the best defenses in the European top 5 leagues for most of the year
For the rebuild in Amsterdam, the 35-year-old reverted to a similar structure, switching between a 4-1-4-1 and a classic 4-3-3 formation.
They opened their preparations with a 1-0 defeat to Zwolle, but since then de Joden have won six out of a possible six matches.
Ajax have won exactly half of those games without conceding a goal, immediately showing the link to last year’s strength of OGC Nice under Farioli.
Panathinaikos certainly have what it takes to put Ajax to the sword in their own stadium. The Greens have won four matches in a row, including the two final preparation games.
The second qualifying round did not cause the home side any headaches. New coach Diego Alonso orchestrated Panathinaikos to two wins against Plovdiv (2:1, 4:0).
However, I don’t expect a win in the first match against Ajax. The visitors’ defense has left a lasting impression on me, allowing less than one expected goal in two qualifying matches against Vojvodina
The Dutch representative must watch out for Alexander Jeremejeff in particular. The 30-year-old has already scored three goals in two EL qualifiers and has made a name for himself as a prolific finisher.
The history of this encounter indicates a clear advantage for the visitors. Ajax have won four out of five duels – none of which have contained fewer than two goals.
I have already indicated my appreciation of Ajax coach Francescio Farioli and in a direct comparison of the two coaches, I put the Italian above Diego Alonso
The new man on the Panathinaikos touchline only managed 14 matches at his last club, Sevilla FC, and averaged less than one point per game (0.79).
He performed only slightly better at his previous club Inter Miami (1.00). However, the 49-year-old did not last longer than 24 games there either.
Diego Alonso had his best time as coach of the national team of his home country – Uruguay. There he scored a strong 2.17 points per game in twelve games
Although Ajax have to play the first leg in Athens, I see the visitors as slight favorites. Coach Farioli is a young coaching genius who has already achieved a lot in preparation.
Ajax will probably be able to prevent a defeat, as well as conceding more than one goal – the coordination in the visitors’ defense is too good for that.
My Panathinaikos Ajax tip is therefore: Double chance X2 & Over 1.5 goals!
