Gabala’s next opponents in the UEFA EL for the 3rd Qualifying round is Panathinaikos ending the last season’s Greece Superleague third with 57 points after thirty matches and joining the contest right from the 3rd Qualifying Round. They finished ten points behind Olimpiakos and four points behind PAOK. The team from Athens left the domestic cup in the semifinal defeating to PAOK with 2:0 and 0:4. Panathinaikos are suffering a significant loss ahead before the season started as top scorer of the last season’s Superleague Marcus Berg ended his four-year time with the team.

Creating in 1908, the green squad is having a home pitch Apostolos Nikolaidis with 16,000 seats. They host higher class events at the Athens Olympic Stadium with 69,618 seats.

Panatinaikos’s permanent opponents are another Greek team Olimpiakos from Prey but the Athens team go behind their opponents in their titles. Having more than million fans, Panathinaikos are the second popular side of Greece.

The Athens side hit their first-ever success just a year after the club was created. The capital city club hit their maiden success in 1909 winning the domestic championship, where they are having six titles altogether.

They also took 20 gold, 23 silver and 19 bronze medals in the Superleague. They gained 62 titles in their all 81 seasons. Panathinaikos won 18 Greece Cups and 8 gold doubles, as well as five Supercups. The team going behind their permanent opponents in the last seven years after hitting their last gold medal in the 2009/10. During the period, they gained only four silver and two bronze medals.

Their only title of the last years appears to be only domestic cup champion of the 2013/14 season. Panathinaikos are the best Greek side in the international football.

Taking their Eurocup depute in 1960, Panatinaikos could progress into the final guided by legendary former player Ferens Puskas, who was their head coach since 1970, a year before they hit their best success to come on the Champions League final against Ajax at the Uembli Stadium of London. But the match ended by 2:0 in the favor of the Nederland side before denied to go on with the championship.

Then the Greece team failed to earn the title the best side defeating to Nasional (Uruguay) after 1:1 and 1:2. The green squad also lost to Liverpool in the Champions League semifinal in 1985 3 years before moving up to the UEFA Cup round of 8.

In 1996, Panathinaikos lost to Ajax in the Champions League where they had round of 8 experiences for four times totally.

Panathinaikos have been suffering from poor streak of the last years’ continental championships that is well evident as they ended EL group stage in the last place the last term. They also stopped in the Play-off in the 2015/16 after losing to Gabala with a goalless draw in Baku followed by 2:2 in Athens by Dodo’s double goal. The away goals guided Gabala to the group stage for the first time in the red-black team’s record path.

The Athens side scored 344 goals and conceded 385 in the continental tornaments. Panathinaikos, coached by Marinos Ozinidis, are sitting 148th in the UEFA rating list. Their Eurocup possession includes 99 wins in their all 285 appearances, as well as loosing 116 and sharing 70 draws.