Samsunspor vs Panathinaikos: Europa League Qualification Prediction (28.08.2025)

On August 28, 2025 at 19:00 CEST, the second leg of the Europa League qualification final will take place as Samsunspor host Panathinaikos. Bookmakers rate the opponents as roughly equal in strength, but the visitors enter this match with an advantage gained last week in Greece. Let’s examine the current form of the teams and provide a prediction.

Samsunspor

The “Red Lightning” had an excellent last season, finishing third in the Turkish league, behind only giants Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, while battling Beşiktaş until the final round for bronze. The start of the current domestic campaign has also been successful, with Samsunspor winning both matches so far.

In European competition, the Turkish side entered directly at the Champions League playoff round. Recently, their style has not been overly attack-minded, with a greater focus on defense — a formula that brought success last season. However, in the away game against Panathinaikos, this strategy failed, and the opponent looked stronger.

Panathinaikos

The “Shamrocks” finished second in the Greek league last season, and in the new campaign have not yet played a domestic match. Their scheduled opener on August 24 was postponed (just like Samsunspor’s case in Turkey) to allow the team to focus on European competition.

And Panathinaikos have already made their mark internationally. In the Champions League qualifiers, they fell short against Rangers, but in the Europa League they surprised many by knocking out Shakhtar Donetsk, showing their ability to improve as the tournament progresses.

Head-to-head statistics

The teams met for the first time last week. Panathinaikos won at home by the narrowest of margins, 2–1, yet the Greeks clearly dominated the match and outshot their opponents 16–7 (5–3 on target).

Prediction

For the Samsunspor vs Panathinaikos clash, the prediction favors the hosts. Turkish fans are famous for their passionate support, and the Greeks will not find conditions as comfortable as in the first leg.

The recommended bet is Samsunspor (0 Asian handicap) at odds of 1.82.