Fresh from a dominant two-goal win in the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round clash, Panathinaikos host a beleaguered Dnipro-1 side in Tuesday's return fixture at the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium.

Ivan Jovanovic's men ran out 3-1 victors during their opening showdown, which was played on neutral territory in Slovakia as conflict continues to rage in Dnipro-1's homeland.

Match preview

Entering in the second qualifying round of the Champions League thanks to their second-placed finish in the 2022-23 Greek Super League - only finishing worse off than AEK Athens - Panathinaikos have one foot firmly in the third round courtesy of a routine Slovakian success last time out.

Andraz Sporar, Filip Djuricic and Fotis Ioannidis propelled the Greek giants into a healthy three-goal lead before Volodymyr Tanchyk's consolation gave Dnipro a small sliver of hope, but barring an Athens upset, Panathinaikos will live to fight another day in Europe.

A 1-0 friendly loss to Rayo Vallecano seven days before their opening continental affair was hardly ideal preparation for Panathinaikos, but the 20-time Greek champions had gone unbeaten in their previous six exhibition encounters and have returned to the Champions League with a bang following an eight-year absence from the top tier.

One-time European Cup finalists in 1971 - which ended in a 2-0 defeat to Ajax - Panathinaikos were Champions League regulars just after the turn of the millennium, but not since the 2010-11 season have the Greens been present in the group stage.

The hosts have also experienced a couple of failed ventures in the Europa League since then, but they have never been eliminated from the second round of Champions League qualifying and ought to be most people's picks to maintain that unblemished record here.

Unlike their Greek counterparts, Ukrainian powerhouses Dnipro did manage to navigate their pre-season period without suffering a single defeat, but that record paled into insignificance when Panathinaikos' quality shone through last week.

Nevertheless, Tanchyk's 90th-minute effort did at least reduce the arrears for Oleksandr Kucher's side, who are by no means down and out in the tie, but their European pedigree is far inferior to that of the Greens.

Indeed, last week's 3-1 loss represented Dnipro's first-ever Champions League match in just their second year of continental competition; the 2022-23 season saw the Ukrainian side lose 5-1 to AEK Larnaca in the Europa League playoff round before progressing through the Europa Conference League group stage, only for the Cypriot outfit to once again be the thorn in their side in the first knockout stage.

Amid their continental baptism, Kucher's men placed second in the 2022-23 Ukrainian Premier League behind Shakhtar Donetsk to dine at Europe's top table for the first time, but nothing less than a miracle will do for Dnipro if they are to set up a daunting third-round affair with French behemoths Marseille.

Team News

Panathinaikos' first-leg success was not an entirely perfect evening for manager Jovanovic, who lost centre-back and captain Bart Schenkeveld to injury with just 24 minutes gone last Tuesday.

It is unclear how severe the Dutchman's problem is, but Lokomotiv Moscow loanee Tin Jedvaj is on standby to cover for his skipper, who represents the hosts' only fresh fitness concern ahead of the second leg.

Summer signings Djuricic and Tonny Vilhena should once again link up in a new-look midfield for Panathinaikos, while Sporar should edge out fellow goalscorer Ioannidis in the two-horse battle to lead the line, with support from former Everton winger Bernard.

As for Dnipro, Kucher should be working with the same crop of players from the first leg, with defender Vitaliy Fedoriv and midfielder Oleksiy Gutsulyak fine to feature despite serving lengthy domestic suspensions.

However, Gutsulyak's spot on the right is now under threat from super sub Tanchyk, while left-back Yanis Hamache and midfielder Oleksandr Pikhalyonok are both in the infirmary with unspecified injury problems.

Similarly to Panathinaikos' Schenkeveld, Dnipro's captain Oleksandr Svatok also failed to complete the full 90 minutes in the first leg, but there is nothing to suggest that the Ukraine international will not be fit to start this one.

Panathinaikos possible starting lineup:
Brignoli; Kotsiras, Jedvaj, Magnusson, Juankar; Vilhena, Perez, Djuricic; Palacios, Sporar, Bernard

Dnipro-1 possible starting lineup:
Kinareykin; Adamyuk, Svatok, Sarapiy, Kravets; Babenko, Blanco; Tanchyk, Rubchynskyi, Tretyakov; Dovbyk

We say: Panathinaikos 2-0 Dnipro-1 (Panathinaikos win 5-1 on aggregate)

Having already asserted their dominance over Dnipro on neutral ground, Panathinaikos should make lightning strike twice on home soil to cruise into the third round of Champions League qualifying.

Boasting a richer continental history and wider array of international talent, the Greens will not expect to encounter many roadblocks en route to the next stage, although Marseille will prove a very different kettle of fish.


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