The second leg of the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 third qualifying round between Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) and Panathinaikos (Greece) will take place on August 14 at the Miejski Stadium in Krakow, Poland. The first match ended 0-0. Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Panathinaikos: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Shakhtar Donetsk
The Miners secured a draw in the first leg held in Greece. It's worth noting that the team dominated possession but failed to capitalize on their attacking opportunities. Nevertheless, the club has kept a clean sheet for the fourth time in their last five Europa League matches. Now, the Ukrainians need to win on neutral ground in Poland to advance to the playoff round of this European competition.
- The club is unbeaten in regular time for five matches in this tournament (3 wins and 2 draws).
- Shakhtar has not lost in 90 minutes in 10 of their last 11 home games in the Europa League (7 wins and 3 draws).
- At least two goals have been scored in regular time in 17 of Shakhtar's last 19 matches in this European competition.
Predicted lineup for Shakhtar Donetsk (4-2-3-1)
Dmytro Riznyk – Valeriy Bondar, Vinicius Tobias, Mykola Matviyenko, Pedro Henrique Azevedo – Marlon Gomes, Oleh Ocheretko – Nevertón, Heorhiy Sudakov, Alisson Santana – Kauan Elias.
Panathinaikos
The Greeks did not play well enough to win their home match, so they likely do not see the draw as a failure. At the same time, the team managed to keep a clean sheet for the third time in their last four Europa League matches. Now they need to win in Krakow to progress to the next round of the tournament. If the match ends in a draw after 90 minutes, extra time will be played.
- In Panathinaikos' last 18 matches in this European competition, only 2 ended in a draw after 90 minutes (6 wins and 10 losses).
- The Greeks have not conceded more than one goal in regular time in their last five Europa League games.
- The club has not lost in the first half in 6 of their last 7 away matches in this tournament (4 wins and 2 draws).
Predicted lineup for Panathinaikos (4-3-3)
Bartlomiej Dragowski – Ahmed Touba, Erik Palmer-Brown, Giannis Kotsiras, Georgios Kyriakopoulos – Nemanja Maksimovic, Martins Tete, Pedro Chirivella – Facundo Pellistri, Filip Djuricic, Karol Swiderski.
Referee
Daniel Siebert (Germany)
Matches – 12 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 56;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.7;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 17%.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Panathinaikos: Match Prediction
The Ukrainians were noticeably more active and engaging in the first leg, but luck was not on their side to secure a victory in Greece. I believe that in the return leg, the team will eventually come out on top against this opponent. Moreover, the Miners have impressive home records – in their last 20 Europa League matches, the club has secured 13 wins, 5 draws, and only 2 losses.
The Greeks found themselves in the third qualifying round of the Europa League after being eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers, where they lost to Rangers. Panathinaikos' defeat against the Scots was primarily due to their lackluster away performance. Overall, even in the Europa League, the Greeks have mediocre results on foreign soil – in their last 16 away matches, the team has only managed 4 wins (5 draws and 7 losses).
My prediction – Victory for Shakhtar Donetsk
