The match of Round 8 of the 2025/26 Europa League group stage between Panathinaikos (Greece) and Roma (Italy) will take place 29 january at Spiros Louis Stadium in Athens. Panathinaikos vs Roma: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos grabbed a point with a late equaliser in an away game against Ferencváros (1:1) in the last round. That draw was very valuable because it extended the unbeaten Europa League run to four matches (2 wins, 2 draws) and, most importantly, now the club is guaranteed not to drop out of the play-off zone. Chances of a direct place in the round of 16 are close to zero, as the home side sits 19th in the table and trails the eighth place by 3 points. Nevertheless, the team can be motivated to earn extra prize money and face a not-so-strong opponent in the first knockout round.
- Panathinaikos conceded in 5 of their last 7 Europa League matches.
- The club has covered the handicap (+1.5) in 12 consecutive home games in this competition.
- The Greeks failed to score more than 1 goal in 5 of their last 6 Europa League meetings.
Potential Panathinaikos Lineup (5-4-1)*
Alban Lafont – Davide Calabria, Eric Palmer-Brown, Sverrir Ingason, Ahmed Tuba, Georgios Kyriakopoulos – Facundo Pellistri, Pedro Chirivella, Anastasios Bakasetas, Renato Sanches – Karol Swiderski.
Forward Karol Swiderski is suspended. Defender Davide Calabria and forward Cyril Dessers will not be available due to health issues.
Roma
Roma had some issues at the start of the group stage, but now the club has a current run of four consecutive Europa League wins. Overall, Roma have won 5 of their 7 matches since the start of this season's competition. Last Thursday the visitors beat Stuttgart (2:0), which secured qualification for the knockouts and moved the squad up to sixth place in the table. The club can still stay in the top eight even in case of defeat, but the gap to ninth is only 1 point, so relying on rivals slipping up would be reckless. If Roma win, they will definitely qualify for the round of 16 without playoffs.
- The team has scored in 5 Europa League games in a row.
- The visitors' uncompromising run in this European competition spans 10 matches (7 wins, 3 losses).
- Roma conceded in 8 of their last 10 away matches in the Europa League.
Potential Roma Lineup (3-4-3)*
Mile Svilar – Zeki Celik, Jan Zelkowski, Daniele Ghilardi – Devyne Rensch, Kostas Tsimikas, Kwadou Koné, Niccolò Pisilli – Lorenzo Pellegrini, Matias Soule, Evan Ferguson.
Defenders Mario Hermoso and Angeliño, midfielder Kwadou Koné, and forwards Evan Ferguson, Stephan El Shaarawy and Artem Dovbyk will miss the match due to injuries.
Referee
Juan Martínez Munuera (Spain)
Matches – 6 (International fixtures, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (including second yellows) – 28;
Average Yellow Cards Per Match – 4.7;
Red Cards Shown – 1;
Fouls Per Match – 26;
Penalties – 17%.
Panathinaikos vs Roma: Match Prediction
Panathinaikos always tries to fight any opponent, and after two defeats in October the home side has remained unbeaten for four Europa League matches. However, over the last six rounds the Greeks have collected only two wins, beating Sturm and Malmö from the lower part of the table, and even in those matches everything was tight. The club already shows modest attacking output: six goals in the last six Europa League games, and now there is essentially no need to push forward since regardless of the result Panathinaikos will remain in the play-off zone. At the same time the team has improved defensively and conceded only two goals in the previous four Europa League rounds.
Roma, meanwhile, aim to retain a top-eight place and ideally need a win. The Italians previously won four Europa League matches in a row, and across seven rounds this European season the club has dropped points only twice. It is important to add that both point losses occurred at home; away from home the side has been flawless so far. Europa League games involving Roma tend to be lively and often end with over results, but in all seven of the visitors' recent matches in this competition there were no more than three goals scored.
Prediction: Roma Or Draw + Under 3.5 Goals
* For each team the starting lineup listed is from its previous match in this competition.
