Panathinaikos vs Shakhtar Donetsk - prediction, team news, lineups

After dropping down to the Europa League qualifying process, Panathinaikos face a tough tie against Shakhtar Donetsk, with Thursday's first leg taking place at Athens Olympic Stadium.

Having been eliminated from the Champions League, the Greek giants must now fight their Ukrainian counterparts for the right to meet Samsunspor in the playoffs.

Match preview

Panathinaikos paid the price for a costly red card in Glasgow, as last month's Champions League second-round tie against Rangers was almost out of reach after a 2-0 first-leg defeat.

Rui Vitoria's side failed to overturn that deficit back on home turf, ultimately crashing out of Europe's top tournament 3-1 on aggregate.

As a consolation prize, they were transferred into UEFA's second-tier tournament, and even defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk would see them get a final shot at extending their continental campaign.

The losers of this tie will move down to the Conference League, where Panathinaikos reached the knockout phase in 2024-25, being eliminated by Fiorentina in the last 16.

Runners-up in Greece last season, the Greens' latest Super League season has yet to begin, so they may head into Thursday's game somewhat short of match-sharpness.

Shakhtar, meanwhile, have been busy in the early rounds of the Europa League, coming through ties against Ilves and Besiktas in emphatic fashion.

After sweeping past the Finnish side 6-0 in round one, they then cruised to an impressive 6-2 aggregate win over their Turkish counterparts late last month.

The Miners have also kicked off their domestic campaign, successfully starting the new Ukrainian Premier League season with an away win against top-flight debutants Epitsentr on Sunday, when substitute Kaua Elias bagged a late winner.

Now managed by former Barcelona star Arda Turan, Shakhtar still boast a sizeable Brazilian contingent despite a rare absence from the Champions League, and they remain highly competitive despite the ongoing crisis in Donetsk.

Turan's young squad now aim to take a positive result away from Athens, ahead of next week's return in their adopted home of Krakow, which will stage Shakhtar's European ties this term.

Panathinaikos form (all competitions): L D

Shakhtar Donetsk Europa League form: W D W W

Shakhtar Donetsk form (all competitions): W D W W W

Team News

Panathinaikos can call upon right-back Georgios Vagiannidis, who served a suspension in the second leg against Rangers after his red card at Ibrox.

Summer signings Pedro Chirivella, Georgios Kyriakopoulos and Ahmed Touba should all feature too, with the latter set to partner Erik Palmer-Brown at the back.

With a tally of 12 goals in 29 UEFA matches to date, Fotis Ioannidis is the hosts' main threat, while either Lacina Traore or Kaua Elias will lead Shakhtar's attack.

The Brazilian teenager has scored twice in five competitive games this term, with compatriot Kevin - Shakhtar's player of the season in 2024-25 - netting four so far.

Only Dmytro Kryskiv and Marlon Santos are sidelined by injury for the visitors, though both should soon return.

Panathinaikos possible starting lineup: Dragowski; Vagiannidis, Touba, Palmer-Brown, Kyriakopoulos; Maksimovic, Chirivella; Pellistri, Bakasetas, Djuricic; Ioannidis

Shakhtar Donetsk possible starting lineup: Riznyk; Tobias, Matviyenko, Bondar, Henrique; Gomes, Sudakov, Pedrinho; Alisson, Elias, Kevin