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Panathinaikos v Chelsea
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Kick Off: Thursday 24th October at 17:45
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Competition: Europa Conference League
Chelsea travel to Greece on Thursday to continue their Conference League campaign with a clash against Panathinaikos. This is almost a competition apart for Enzo Maresca’s side, with the team liable to be used very different from the one that typically plays in the Premier League. That did not stop the Blues from routing Gent in their opening match.
Panathinaikos drew their first match against Borac Banja Luka 1-1 but have already claimed notable wins over Ajax and Lens this season so should not be underestimated.
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With Fotis Ioannidis missing due to a foot injury and Andraz Sporar doubtful due to illness, look for attacking midfielder Anastasios Bakasetas to shoulder a good deal of the offensive burden.
It is likely to be a role he thrives in. He had five shots in Panathinaikos’s opening Conference League match and has also caught the eye for Greece in recent international games. He had five shots against Ireland, scoring one, and three against England. He is likely to be the hosts’ most frequent goal threat.
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👕 Panathinaikos v Chelsea Predicted XI
🔍 Panathinaikos v Chelsea Players to Watch
🟢 Nemanja Maksimovic
Nemanja Maksimovic is likely to be deployed as a deep midfielder for Panathinaikos, operating in an area in which Joao Felix is liable to find himself. The former Getafe player already has three yellow cards in 14 matches this season for Pana and in this clash is liable to feature in an area where Chelsea have several players capable of winning fouls.
Felix is the most obvious of these, having won three against Gent in the previous game, but Cesare Casadei and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were also fouled in that clash. The defensive midfielder is a big price to commit one foul as a consequence.
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🔵 Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
A big-money summer signing, the 26-year-old has been forced to feed off scraps and it is in matches like this that he will seek to catch the eye of Enzo Maresca.
In his last couple of starts, he has done his best to come to the fore. Against Barrow in the EFL Cup, he had four efforts, with one hitting the target. Given the full 90 against Gent in the previous match in this competition, he replicated those figures and added a goal to them. Last season, he averaged 2.15 shots per 90 for Leicester in the Championship.
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🔵 Christopher Nkunku
If the career of Nkunku at Chelsea is yet to take off, this is the type of game that could ignite things for the former PSG attacker. He is likely to lead the Blues’ attack in this fixture, and in this role, he should get plenty of sights of goal.
Nkunku has had two or more shots on target in two of his last three starts for the club. A potential marquee player for the Blues, this is the sort of stage he will hope to light up.
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📂 Panathinaikos v Chelsea Cheat Sheet
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💻 Panathinaikos v Chelsea Form and Tactics
Panathinaikos have had a comparatively poor start to the season. With eight games played domestically, they have won only three and sit sixth in the Greek top-flight. There have been a couple of eye-catching victories in European football. They were only edged out of the Europa League by Ajax on penalties while they defeated Ligue 1 side Lens to reach the group stage.
Their life is further complicated by a number of selection issues that will see several likely starters miss out, including key forward Fotis Ioannidis. Tete and Filip Duricic are their leading scorers this season with three each, while each of these players has one assist apiece, highlighting their importance offensively.
Chelsea in the Conference League, meanwhile, are likely to bear little resemblance to the team that typically starts in the Premier League. It will not be without significant quality, though. Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Joao Felix are international-class attackers who are all fighting to get greater prominence in Enzo Maresca’s thoughts and will be significantly above anything that Panathinaikos have faced this season.
The Blues might be improving under the Italian manager, but it’s not been entirely smooth sailing in the Conference League so far. They were given a scare by Swiss side Servette in qualifying, and while they moved past Gent 4-2 in their opening match, they only edged that game 1.9-1.1 in terms of xG.
Chelsea’s fringe players, meanwhile, will expect to gain match sharpness as this tournament progresses and they get more game time, making them an increasingly dangerous opponent.
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🏁 Panathinaikos v Chelsea Ref Watch
- Referee: Antonio Nobre (Portugal)
- Has officiated eight times across all competitions this season, giving out 50 cards at an average of 6.25 per match.
- Has delivered four red cards in these eight games, though three came in one match. Has awarded three penalties this season.
- Averages 28.0 fouls per game in the Portuguese top-flight this season. He has overseen four games here.
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* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
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