Panathinaikos hosts Borac Banja Luka at OAKA on 15 October in Conference League opener
Panathinaikos open their Conference League League Phase campaign at home on 15 October, looking to bounce back from a 1-0 derby defeat to Olympiacos. Kickoff is at 19:45 at the Athens Olympic Stadium, and Victor Kristiansen could make his debut.
Preparation and squad news
Panathinaikos completed its preparation on the afternoon of Wednesday, 14 October without problems, and coach Jacob Nystrup then announced the travelling squad for the European opener. Victor Kristiansen is included in a squad for the first time since joining the club, and the Danish left-back is likely to make his debut. Giorgos Kyriakopoulos may be given a rest, while Kings Kangua is expected back in the starting side. Cyril Dessers and Livai García are competing for places in attack. The travelling squad counts 24 players in total.
Predicted lineups
SKAI expects Penia in goal, with Kalabria, De Frai, Van Dronghelen and Kristiansen in defence, Kamara and Kangua in midfield, and Tamborda, Ounai and Antino behind Dessers. NewsIT's predicted XI differs, keeping Kyriakopoulos at left-back and naming Livai García alongside Dessers and Antino in the front line. The two previews differ mainly on the left-back berth and on who supports Dessers in attack.
Form and opponent
Panathinaikos won all three of its summer qualifiers and now enters the League Phase, the third tier of UEFA club competition, according to NewsIT. The club's first defeat of the season came in the Athens derby, a 1-0 loss to Olympiacos. Borac Banja Luka won last year's Bosnian championship, which earned it direct entry to the League Phase, and came into this game after a 2-0 win over the Banja Luka local rival. Two seasons ago the same clubs met in the same competition, in Bosnia, and drew 1-1. Borac is coached by Vinko Marinović.
Absentees
Anas Salah-Eddine has not been registered on the European list and is out of the squad. The young players Iasonas Nebis, Takis Biniaris and Vasilis Lavdas are also left out. Ingi Ingason and Pavlos Pantelidis remain out of action, so the available pool is narrower than the full roster.
Kickoff, broadcast and officials
The match is scheduled for 19:45 on Thursday, 15 October at the OAKA in Athens and will be shown live on Magenta Sport 3. SPORT24 is offering a live Matchcenter for the same game. The Hungarian referee Bence Tsonka is in charge, with assistants Balazs Buzas and Norbert Bornemisza. Tamas Bognar is the VAR and Ferenc Karako the AVAR. The same evening carries other European fixtures, including Atalanta against Pafos and Brighton against Zalgiris at 22:00 in the Conference League, plus several Euroleague games.
What comes next
The fixture is matchday 1 of the League Phase, and Panathinaikos is looking for its first points of the European campaign.