Panathinaikos vs Shakhtar Donetsk: Europa League Prediction (07.08.2025)

On August 7, 2025, at 20:00 CET, the first leg of the Europa League qualification semi-finals will take place between Panathinaikos and Shakhtar Donetsk. The winner of this tie will face Turkish side Samsunspor in the final. Bookmakers believe the teams have roughly equal chances of winning the first match, but overall across the two legs, the representatives of the Ukrainian league are slight favourites. Let’s look at the teams’ current form and present our prediction for the match.

Panathinaikos

The Greek runners-up are not known for their consistency. The team finished second in the national championship, trailing Olympiacos by 16 points, and managed to overtake other rivals only thanks to their mistakes at the end of the season. Pre-season results were also mixed. Panathinaikos defeated Metalist 1925 (3–0) and Westerlo (3–1), drew with Schalke (0–0), and lost to Nordsjaelland (0–1) and Braga (1–2).

In European competitions, Panathinaikos started from the second qualifying round of the Champions League. However, Rangers proved too strong. The Greek side lost 0–2 away, and the second leg ended in a 1–1 draw.

Shakhtar Donetsk

Meanwhile, the “Miners” are making a positive impression. Despite a disappointing previous season in which they sensationally failed to finish even in the top two, the team now looks much more solid. A coaching change has had the desired effect. The team looks fresher, and Arda Turan did a good job during pre-season. The Brazilian legionnaires, on whom the club continues to rely, are showing excellent attacking football.

In the previous round, Shakhtar faced Besiktas — not an easy opponent. But the Ukrainian side won confidently twice. In the first away leg, the Miners built a comfortable advantage with a 4–2 win, and after winning 2–0 at home, the aggregate score became a convincing 6–2.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

There is no head-to-head history. The teams will meet for the first time.

Prediction

In the Panathinaikos – Shakhtar Donetsk match, we favour the visitors. Shakhtar’s attacking line looks very impressive. Therefore, it is highly likely that the UPL representatives will score again. In this case, betting on Shakhtar’s individual total over 1 at odds of 1.54 looks interesting.