Panathinaikos vs CSKA 1948 Sofia preview

Europe flag 2026/2027 Europa Conference League, Europe
Stadio Apóstolos Nikolaidis Today - 6:30 PM
Europa Conference League
Panathinaikos PAO
CSKA 1948 Sofia C1S
KICKOFF : Today - 6:30 PM
3rd Qualifying Round Leg 1 of 2

CONTEXT

Panathinaikos welcomes CSKA 1948 Sofia to Stadio Apóstolos Nikolaidis for the first leg of their Europa Conference League third qualifying round tie in the 2026/2027 season. The Greek side carries a clear power advantage, reflected in a 15.2-point edge and an overall score of 78.32 against the visitors' 63.08. Home form stands at 33.33 while the Bulgarian outfit sits at 16.67, suggesting a mismatch in recent rhythm. Both teams operate without detailed domestic positioning data, shifting focus to raw metrics and adaptation in this international cup setting. Panathinaikos will look to leverage venue familiarity and structural depth, whereas CSKA 1948 Sofia must navigate a steep challenge on the road. The encounter sets the tone for the two-legged affair with emphasis on controlled progression rather than early risks.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Panathinaikos holds a 15.2-point power advantage over CSKA 1948 Sofia.
  • Form: Panathinaikos posts a form score of 33.33 against the visitors' 16.67.
  • Squad: Detailed squad composition data remains unavailable for this fixture.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics are not provided for either Panathinaikos or CSKA 1948 Sofia.
  • Transition: Transition play details are not specified in available match data.
  • Set pieces: Set piece analysis uses proxy data with low confidence for both sides.
  • xVariable: Panathinaikos records a power score of 78.32 compared to 63.08 for CSKA 1948 Sofia.
  • Market: Panathinaikos 78.8% (Δ+0%) | Draw 16% (Δ+0%) | CSKA 1948 Sofia 5.2% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Panathinaikos J. Neestrup Hansen
J. Neestrup Hansen
VS
CSKA 1948 Sofia A. Emilov Aleksandrov
A. Emilov Aleksandrov
2
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1
2 i
Last 6 Opponents
Paksi SE Rank: 63 D
Paksi SE Rank: 61 W
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1 i
Last 6 Opponents
Spartak Trnava Rank: 76 D
Spartak Trnava Rank: 76 D
0
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
0 - 0 - 0
0
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home Panathinaikos
78.81%
Draw
15.97%
Away CSKA 1948 Sofia
5.22%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
78.32
63.08
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Panathinaikos
CSKA 1948 Sofia
Power Score
78.32
63.08
League Position
-
-
Global Rank
113
527

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Panathinaikos — Opponent-weighted form score
CSKA 1948 Sofia — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Panathinaikos CSKA 1948 Sofia

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 0 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Panathinaikos PAO Home
0 matches
CSKA 1948 Sofia C1S Away
Match Record
0
Wins
0
0
Draws
0
0
Losses
0
Goals
0
Goals Scored
0
0
Goals Conceded
0
0
Goal Difference
0
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-05T00:02:50+00:00

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 05, 2026, 06:30 PM
Competition
2026/2027 Europa Conference League, Europe · 3rd Qualifying Round · Leg 1 of 2
Stadium
Stadio Apóstolos Nikolaidis
Capacity
69618
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Matteo Marchetti
Khaled Bahri
Valerio Vecchi
Juan Luca Sacchi

Squad

Referee : Matteo Marchetti

Squad ▼

70
Konstantinos Kotsaris
Konstantinos Kotsaris Goalkeeper
12
Lucas Abraham Chávez
Lucas Abraham Chávez Goalkeeper
1
Ignacio Peña Sotorres
Ignacio Peña Sotorres Goalkeeper
71
Christos Geitonas
Christos Geitonas Goalkeeper
6
Stefan de Vrij
Stefan de Vrij Defender
55
Rick van Drongelen
Rick van Drongelen Defender
15
Sverrir Ingi Ingason
Sverrir Ingi Ingason Defender
5
Ahmed Touba
Ahmed Touba Defender
77
Giorgos Kiriakopoulos
Giorgos Kiriakopoulos Defender
2
Davide Calabria
Davide Calabria Defender
14
Erik Palmer-Brown
Erik Palmer-Brown Defender
34
Victor Bernth Kristansen
Victor Bernth Kristansen Defender
19
Triantafyllos Tsapras
Triantafyllos Tsapras Defender
3
Georgios Marios Katris
Georgios Marios Katris Defender
56
Vasilios Lavdas
Vasilios Lavdas Defender
—
Moussa Sissoko
Moussa Sissoko Midfielder
4
Pedro Chirivella Burgos
Pedro Chirivella Burgos Midfielder
52
Tonny Emilio Trindade de Vilhena
Tonny Emilio Trindade de Vilhena Midfielder
—
Anastasios Bakasetas
Anastasios Bakasetas Midfielder
16
Adam Gnezda Čerin
Adam Gnezda Čerin Midfielder
22
E. Camara
E. Camara Midfielder
20
Vicente Taborda
Vicente Taborda Midfielder
8
Adriano Jagušić
Adriano Jagušić Midfielder
18
Sotiris Kontouris
Sotiris Kontouris Midfielder
10
Santino Andino Valencia
Santino Andino Valencia Midfielder
—
Aidon Shehu
Aidon Shehu Midfielder
44
Panagiotis Biniaris
Panagiotis Biniaris Midfielder
9
Cyriel Dessers
Cyriel Dessers Attacker
28
Facundo Pellistri Rebollo
Facundo Pellistri Rebollo Attacker
11
Anass Zaroury
Anass Zaroury Attacker
72
Miloš Pantović
Miloš Pantović Attacker
74
E. Rastoder
E. Rastoder Attacker
7
Andrews Tetteh
Andrews Tetteh Attacker
30
Georgios Kyriopoulos
Georgios Kyriopoulos Attacker
17
Pavlos Pantelidis
Pavlos Pantelidis Attacker
39
Giannis Gavriil Bokos
Giannis Gavriil Bokos Attacker
53
Iason Nempis
Iason Nempis Attacker
Referee : Matteo Marchetti

Squad ▼

13
Dimitar Sheytanov
Dimitar Sheytanov Goalkeeper
1
Petar Marinov
Petar Marinov Goalkeeper
5
Benaissa Benamar
Benaissa Benamar Defender
4
Andre Hoffmann
Andre Hoffmann Defender
3
Lasha Dvali
Lasha Dvali Defender
96
Dragan Grivić
Dragan Grivić Defender
22
Ognjen Gašević
Ognjen Gašević Defender
6
Yegor Parkhomenko
Yegor Parkhomenko Defender
70
Kostadin Stoynev Iliev
Kostadin Stoynev Iliev Defender
15
Fourat Soltani
Fourat Soltani Defender
2
Diego Daniel Medina Roman
Diego Daniel Medina Roman Defender
—
Christopher Acheampong
Christopher Acheampong Defender
10
Borislav Aleksandrov Tsonev
Borislav Aleksandrov Tsonev Midfielder
34
Petar Vitanov
Petar Vitanov Midfielder
8
Moataz Zemzemi
Moataz Zemzemi Midfielder
23
Florian Krebs
Florian Krebs Midfielder
29
Jules Meyer
Jules Meyer Midfielder
20
Brian Gabriel Sobrero
Brian Gabriel Sobrero Midfielder
7
Bernardo Marques Duarte Couto
Bernardo Marques Duarte Couto Midfielder
33
Héctor Manuel Cuellar Rosales
Héctor Manuel Cuellar Rosales Midfielder
19
Marto Boychev
Marto Boychev Midfielder
67
Frederic Ferreira Maciel
Frederic Ferreira Maciel Attacker
9
Atanas Iliev
Atanas Iliev Attacker
77
Elias Corrêa Franco
Elias Corrêa Franco Attacker
93
Mamadou Diallo
Mamadou Diallo Attacker
11
Georgi Rusev
Georgi Rusev Attacker
18
Boris Aleksandrov Dimitrov
Boris Aleksandrov Dimitrov Attacker
17
José Martínez
José Martínez Attacker
14
Kaloyan Radostinov Strinski
Kaloyan Radostinov Strinski Attacker
71
Danylo Tarasenko
Danylo Tarasenko Attacker

CONCLUSION

Panathinaikos enters this opening leg with measurable edges in power and form that align with their status as the stronger side. The home environment at Stadio Apóstolos Nikolaidis offers a platform for structured control, allowing the hosts to dictate tempo while minimizing exposure. CSKA 1948 Sofia faces a demanding assignment and will need compact organization to limit opportunities. With efficiency and transition data limited, emphasis falls on core attributes such as defensive shape and set-piece resilience. Both sides carry low-confidence proxies in specialized areas, underscoring the value of on-pitch adaptation. The first leg should reward measured execution over high-risk approaches as the tie progresses.