Panathinaikos profiled as Rangers face Champions League rivals with £30m-rated danger man and proud Scots record
Russell Martin's first competitive match as Light Blues boss will be against the Greek giants
Rangers have never beaten Panathinaikos – yet their very name conjures up happy memories for Ibrox legions.
That's because Walter Smith 's men progressed against the Greek giants during an unforgettable run to the UEFA Cup final in Manchester in 2008.
Nacho Novo struck a late leveller after falling behind in Athens and, thanks to a goalless draw at Ibrox, progressed on away goals.
Now Russell Martin will be looking for more of the same after being paired with the Greek Super League side in the second round of Champions League qualifying.
Alex McLeish's men also faced the Greeks in the group stage of the competition 22 years ago. Brazilian Emerson gave them the lead but they were pegged back late on before a defeat in the Ibrox return.
Here, Record Sport gets the lowdown from Alexandros Xenikakis, sports presenter with Greek TV station ANT1, as he answers some key questions
How did Panathinaikos get on last season?
They started the season really awful. Even though they managed to qualify for the main draw of the Conference League, the Shamrock had a really tough time domestically. That led them to change manager. Diego Alonso left, Rui Vitoria came. But with the Portuguese boss in charge, Panathinaikos's luck changed and they embarked on a 16-game unbeaten run. However, since the turn of the year, it's been another spell of ups and downs. But an important win away against AEK Athens in the final weeks of the season ensured they finished second behind Olympiacos to claim a place in the Champions League qualifiers. Not a great campaign but then not bad given how the season started.
Who is the danger man Rangers will have to take care of?
Panathinaikos's player of the year last term was Azzentin Ounahi but he has returned to Marseille after a year-long loan. That leaves Fotis Ioannidis as the man Rangers would have to be fearful of. He did not have the best of campaign's last year but the club captain has the quality to make the difference for Panathinaikos.
Last summer, the club rejected bid close to 30million euros from Ipswich. There is still a possibility that he may get transferred during the summer window. Serbian international Filip Duricic attacking midfielder was their top league scorer and has played in England, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands before arriving in Greece.
Tell us about the coach and his style of play?
Portuguese gaffer Rui Vitoria is a former Benfica boss. His arrival last year proved to be the turning point that saved the season for Panathinaikos. When he arrived in Athens, the Greens were stirring eighth and going nowhere. But with Vitoria's leadership, they made an impressive comeback to finish runners up. As for his style, he does not have one specific philosophy. We have seen his Panathinaikos team playing a controlled and high-quality football, but also a times relying on a strong defence, with many players behind the ball. He is a good manager but he isn't focused on creating a stable team with one specific identity.
Will Panathinaikos fancy their chances of beating Rangers?
Panathinaikos have recorded some big results in Europe lately, knocking out Marseille and Lens. They also ran Ajax close in Amsterdam before being squeezed out on penalties. The club's approach to European competition means they respect all opponents but do not fear any team. Based on that I believed they will be confident of qualifying, but with the understanding that Rangers is a really good team who have also had some great results in Europe during the last few years.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: Rangers last faced the Greek side in 2008 when they met in the UEFA Cup, with the Light Blues winning on away goals.
And they also played against each other in the Champions League group stage in 2003 with a draw in Athens and defeat for Rangers at Ibrox.
INTERESTING FACT: Panathinaikos have played against Scottish clubs seven times - Rangers four times, Aberdeen once and Motherwell twice...and have never lost.
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