European Group Stage Debut for Borac
Bosnia and Herzegovina Premier League winners FK Borac will make their UEFA league phase debut on Thursday. Borac host Greek side Panathinaikos in their UEFA Europa Conference League opener. As the 2024-25 Conference League gets underway, we’ll check out the Borac vs Panathinaikos team news.
Once we’ve covered the injuries and recent results, we’ll discuss the top soccer bet for the match.
While Panathinaikos have struggled in recent Europa League appearances, they’ll be aiming for the knockout stage of the Conference League. Three points would go a long way for the visitors here.
FK Borac vs Panathinaikos Match Info:
- Location: Banja Luka City Stadium, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Date & Time: Thursday, October 3rd, 3:00 p.m. ET
- TV: Paramount+
FK Borac vs Panathinaikos Team News: Head-to-Head
This is the first-ever match between FK Borac and Panathinaikos.
Borac are 0-2 all-time against Greek teams, as they lost twice to PAOK in the second round of this season’s Champions League qualifiers. Borac lost 3-2 in Greece and 1-0 at home to PAOK.
Meanwhile, Panathinaikos have never before faced a Bosnian side.
FK Borac Team News
- Bosnian Premier League Standings: 4-1-1 (5th)
- Form (All Competitions): W,W,L,D,W
Defenders Nikola Pejovic and Niko Datkovic were not in Borac’s squad for Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Radnik Bijeljina.
All the while, forwards Esmir Hasukic and David Vukovic have also been out for the last four matches. It’s unclear whether any of them will be available for Borac’s Conference League opener.
Moreover, midfielder Dino Skorup missed the match against Radnik. However, it looks like he could return on Thursday.
Borac, who are based in Banja Luka, won their third Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina title in May.
Then, they managed to grab a PK shootout victory over Albanian side Egnatia in first round of Champions League qualifiers. Borac subsequently lost both legs to Greek side PAOK in second round qualifiers.
However, they did defeat KI Klaksvik from the Faroe Islands in extra time in the third round of Europa League qualifiers. In the Europa League Play-off round, Borac fell in a penalty kick shootout to Ferencvaros to drop down to Conference League group stage.
Again, this is their first appearance in the league/group phase of any European competition.
Last season’s leading scorer Jovo Lukic left the team in the Summer transfer window. Since joining, replacement Djordje Despotovic has scored twice in three games.
Panathinaikos Team News
- Greek Super League Standings: 2-2-2 (8th)
- Form (All Competitions): L,W,D,D,W
Defender Philipp Max is returning from an injury and participated in full training on Tuesday. So, it looks like he’ll be an option for Thursday’s match. However, fellow defender Georgios Vagiannidis is out.
In 2023-24, Panathinaikos came in fourth place in the Greek Super League. In Europa League qualifiers, the Athens side came up against Botev Plovdiv in the second round. Panathinaikos managed a 6-1 victory over two legs.
In the next round, they lost 13-12 in a heartbreaking penalty shootout against Ajax. They dropped down to the Conference League play-off where they managed to defeat Lens, who were a Champions League club in 2023-24, 3-2 on aggregate.
Last season, Panathinaikos struggled in the Europa League but should be competitive in Europe’s third-tier competition.
Panathinaikos are coached by former Uruguay and Sevilla manager Diego Alonso. Veteran attacking midfielder Filip Djuricic and Brazilian winger Tete are two to watch for on Thursday.
Borac vs Panathinaikos Prediction
The Borac vs Panathinaikos team news shows that most key players on both sides are available. With Borac making their Conference League debut, the atmosphere in Banja Luka should be raucous.
Still, it shouldn’t be anything Panathinaikos won’t be able to handle. Panathinaikos went on the road to Ajax in August with a one goal deficit.
They managed to force penalties after a 1-0 victory and scoreless extra time, which is not an easy feat. With wins over Ajax and Lens already on their pedigree, Panathinaikos will be looking for a bounce back win after last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to rivals AEK Athens.
Ahead of the Derby of the Eternal Enemies against Olympiacos on Sunday, the 14th biggest derby in the world according to FourFourTwo, Panathinaikos need to build some momentum. Our Borac vs Panathinaikos prediction is that the visitors will grab all three points here.
Bettors can take Panathinaikos at -170 odds at DraftKings.
Top Soccer Bet: Panathinaikos (-170)
