The Bulgarian representativeCSKA 1948 faces today against the Greek giantPanathinaikos in a decisive rematch from the third preliminary round of Conference League.
The match will be played at the National Stadium “Vasil Levski“ in Sofia by 20:30 hours. After the surprising and extremely prestigious draw 1:1 in the first match in Athens, the boys of head coach Alexander Alexandrov have a historic chance to eliminate their famous rival.
In the CSKA 1948 camp: Without fear and with high self-confidence
The Bulgarian team enters the clash in excellent form and a series of positive results. In their last match of the efbet League, the “reds“ warmed up for the European tournaments with a decisive victory over Lokomotiv (Sofia) with 3:1, which further raised the morale of the squad.
The home team's coach Alexander Alexandrov shared, that his team is ready for any scenario, including extra time and penalties. “The tension should be entirely in Panathinaikos. They are the favorite with a much larger budget. We are going out to experience pleasure and give more than 100% of ourselves“, said the Bulgarian specialist at the official press conference before the match, quoted by the sports section of BNT (bntnews.bg/news/aleksandar-aleksandrov-gotovi-sme-za-vsyakakvi-scenarii-1407364news.html). The good news for the hosts is that all the main players are healthy and at his disposal.
The guests from Athens arrive under enormous pressure
In In the Panathinaikos camp, the situation is completely different. The draw in the first match, where Georgi Rusev scored the invaluable goal for the Bulgarians, caused serious criticism in Greece. The new head coach of PAO Jakob Neestrup admitted that the responsibility is enormous. “The tension is great. We know how much money we spent on transfers and our goal is a mandatory participation in the main phase of Europe“, the Danish specialist told reporters, bTV Sport reports (btvsport.bg/bgfootball/cska-1948-bez-strah-naprezhenieto-trjabva-da-e-v-panatinajkos.html).
The Greeks are expected to make at least four changes to their lineup compared to the first clash, looking for a more aggressive game. The Dutchman Rick van Drongelen will once again play in defense for the guests, who expressed readiness for a tough match in Sofia (sportal.bg/news-2026081016010603636).
Where to watch the match CSKA 1948 – Panathinaikos?
The big rematch will be broadcast live on bTV, with the pre-match studio starting at 8:00 p.m. The match will be led by a Belgian refereeing team with chief referee Jasper Vergoote. The winner of this pair will secure a place in the playoff round, which is the last step before entering the actual group stage of the Conference League tournament.