Panathinaikos vs Rangers

Rangers picked up a potentially valuable 2-0 victory against the ten men of Panathinaikos last week at Ibrox. It was Russell Martin’s first competitive success since taking over in Glasgow, and they have a decent cushion to take to Greece on Wednesday night.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Martin’s men, with Jack Butland being forced to make several saves in the first half, and the Greeks are likely to start this game with plenty of urgency. This isn’t an easy venue to visit, and Panathinaikos beat Fiorentina and Lens here last season. Chelsea and Ajax were the only sides to leave with maximum points in European competition, and a fevered atmosphere is expected inside the ground.

Nevertheless, the Rangers players appear to have adapted to Martin’s preferred style with 75% possession in the first leg. Admittedly, this won’t be as easy, and they aren’t likely to be handed a man advantage in this rematch.

Joe Rothwell is an excellent addition and enjoyed dictating play from deep, allowing his teammates, such as Nicholas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande, to push forward. With Thelo Asgaard back from injury and Djeidi Gassama having staked a claim for a start, Rangers have plenty of options going forward.

Martin’s style requires dominating the ball, and they are likely to have plenty of possession once again. However, it does allow for the team to be easily picked off, and they can often get caught in dangerous areas. Their opponents have had 90 minutes to assess the Scottish Premiership outfit and are likely to execute a game plan accordingly.

Panathinaikos tested Butland and couldn’t find a way past the experienced keeper. They are likely to have better luck in front of their own fans, but I’d expect Rangers to have enough firepower to find a way through, too.