Europa League Betting: Back Spurs to avoid Greek tragedy

Tottenham's win at Old Trafford sparked wild celebrations in the dugout

Tottenham are on a high after victory at Manchester United, and Kevin Hatchard expects them to maintain their momentum against a Panathinaikos side struggling for form.

Panathinaikos vs Tottenham Hotspur, Europa League Group J, Thu 18:00 BST, Live on ITV4

Match Odds: Panathinaikos 3.9n/a, Spurs 2.1211/10, the draw 3.8514/5

Some mean-spirited characters have criticised Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas for over-celebrating his side's 3-2 win at Manchester United last weekend, but it strikes me that his emotional outpouring was perfectly understandable. Leading Tottenham to their first win at Old Trafford since 1989 was arguably AVB's finest achievement in English football, and it's a sign that the changes he has made in tactics and personnel are starting to bear fruit. After a sticky start, belief in the Portuguese manager's "project" is starting to burgeon amongst players and fans.

Villas-Boas showed his desire to do well in the Europa League by fielding a strong line-up at home to Lazio (Bale, Lennon and Defoe all started), and had Spurs not had three goals harshly disallowed, they may have got a win rather than a goalless draw. That failure to collect three points makes the forthcoming trip to Panathinaikos even more important, and I expect to see another solid side selected.

Cash-strapped Panathinaikos are struggling badly this season, and they lie 12th in the 16-team Greek Super League. Their only home win this season came against hapless Motherwell in the Champions League qualifiers, a team that failed to score in any of their four European games this term. Pana's financial woes saw them lose a clutch of top players in the summer (Greek internationals Sotiris Ninis and Giorgios Karagounis to name but two), and star forward Sebastian Leto (formerly of Liverpool) is a long-term absentee after knee surgery.

The loss of Ninis and Leto has drastically reduced Pana's attacking potential, and they have failed to score in four of their last seven games. That stretch included a humbling 3-0 reverse at Maribor in the group stage opener, a defeat that doesn't bode well for the club's hopes of reaching the last 16.

Tottenham may rest some stars ahead of the weekend's Premier League clash with Aston Villa, but I still expect them to beat a Panathinaikos side short on confidence and quality. Spurs have played some excellent football on their travels under Villas-Boas, and I suspect their pace on the counter-attack will be enough to secure the points. I think 2.1211/10 is temptingly chunky for the away win.

Key Opta Stat: Panathinaikos have won just one of 16 European games against English sides.

Best Bet: Back Tottenham to win at 2.1211/10