Overview
Betis qualified for the round of 16 after finishing the group stage in fourth place, with a record of 5 wins, 2 draws and only 1 defeat after 8 matches.
However, the La Liga representative suffered another defeat in the first leg against Panathinaikos last week, forcing them to face a difficult task if they want to continue to nurture hopes of going deep in the European arena, after finishing second in the Conference League last season.
After that result, Los Verdiblancos continued to be held to a 1-1 draw at home against Celta Vigo in La Liga last weekend. This draw helped them maintain a 3-point gap with their opponent in the race for the top 5, but also extended their winless streak to 5, since two consecutive victories against Atletico Madrid and Mallorca.
The attack is a big problem for Betis as they have only scored 1 goal in the last 3 matches. If they want to go far and compete for the first European title in history, this team needs to quickly improve their finishing ability.
However, Betis still has home advantage when they have won all 3 recent matches in the Europa League, respectively against Lyon, Utrecht and Feyenoord.
On the other side, Panathinaikos had to play in the play-offs after only finishing 17th in the group stage. The Greek representative drew both matches with Viktoria Plzen before winning 4-3 on penalties to advance.
Coach Rafael Benitez's team certainly wants to avoid such a tense scenario in the second leg. They are holding a small advantage after the dramatic first leg, where both teams received red cards.
Anass Zaroury was sent off after receiving two yellow cards, before defender Diego Llorente of Betis was also sent off for fouling leading to a penalty in the final minutes. From the 11m spot, Vicente Taborda scored the decisive goal, bringing an important advantage to Panathinaikos.
After that victory, Panathinaikos drew 0-0 against Panetolikos in the domestic league, thereby extending their unbeaten streak to 9 matches in all competitions.
Although stable form brings confidence, the Greek representative still faces a big challenge. They have never reached the quarter-finals of European cups since the 2002-2003 UEFA Cup season, and also have poor head-to-head record against Spanish teams when losing 14/19 recent matches (2 wins, 3 draws).
Personnel situation
Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini will not have the services of Giovani Lo Celso and Isco due to respective thigh and ankle injuries.
In addition, Diego Llorente was also suspended in the second leg after receiving a red card in the first leg in Greece.
Pellegrini is likely to make some adjustments compared to the starting lineup in the draw against Celta Vigo. Names like Pau Lopez, Ricardo Rodriguez, Sergi Altimira and Antony are expected to be present from the beginning.
On the other side, Panathinaikos also suffered a personnel loss when Anass Zaroury was suspended for one match after a red card in the first leg.
In addition, Giannis Kotsiras and Erik Palmer-Brown will be absent due to injury, while Moussa Sissoko, Tonny Vilhena, Adriano Jagusic, Pavlos Pantelidis and Lucas Chaves are not registered in the Europa League squad, meaning they are not eligible to play.
Expected lineup:
Real Betis: Lopez, Ruibal, Bartra, Natan, Rodriguez, Roca, Altimira, Antony, Fornals, Abde, Cucho.
Panathinaikos: Lafont, Katris, Ingason, Touba, Calabria, Sanches, Gnezda Cerin, Kyriakopoulos, Pellistri, Taborda, Tetteh.
The match between Real Betis and Panathinaikos took place at 3:00 a.m. on March 20 (Vietnam time).
