The two sides have never previously met competitively and the unfamiliarity extends to the early start, with a 5.45pm UK time kick-off.

The hosts, known as PAO, the Shamrock or Greens, went into this round of games 18th of the 36 teams in UEFA’s Conference League table and eighth in Greece’s 14-strong Super League after a weekend win, their first in three outings.

From 18 previous meetings with English clubs, our hosts have secured just one victory: 1-0 in the Champions League at home to Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in September 2001.

They have lost five of their last six UEFA games in Athens and have won just two of the last 16 home fixtures in Europe. In contrast, their ‘eternal enemies’ Olympiacos are the current holders of this competition.

Chelsea have won each of our past five group stage matches in UEFA competitions and could make it six in succession for the first time this evening. We have never lost on Greek soil.

Team news

Another vital Premier League fixture at home to Newcastle United awaits 65 hours after the final whistle in Athens, so it would be understandable if Enzo Maresca reverts to something like the starting XI he used against Gent. In fact, many of those same players who featured against the Belgians are pressing for a weekend start and Filip Jorgensen, whose availability was in doubt, has already been confirmed by Maresca to be in the team.

The goalie is one of eight ever-present Blues throughout this European campaign (including qualifiers) alongside Benoit Badaishile, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Axel Disasi, Mykhailo Mudryk, plus trio Tosin Adarabioyo, Christopher Nkunku and Renato Veiga who were involved at Anfield.

Mudryk has delivered assists in the past two Conference League fixtures and Nkunku has netted in each European match to date. Against Gent, Veiga scored one goal - his first for Chelsea - and set up another. The last player to do that in a major European match for the Blues was Reece James, in the 2022/23 Champions League group stages against AC Milan.

Skipper James and Romeo Lavia returned against Liverpool, while Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana have now served their domestic suspension. However, Fofana and Lavia, as well as Cole Palmer, Ben Chilwell and Marcus Bettinelli, were omitted from our UEFA squad so are ineligible. Academy youngsters Tyrique George, Samuel Rak-Sakyi and Shumaira Mheuka have travelled to Athens with the senior squad.

The history

Though Chelsea have never previously faced Panathinaikos in a competitive setting, a mixed side of senior and young players lost a pre-season friendly 2-0 at their old Leoforos Alexandras ground on 10 August 1980.

This is the fourth time we have been drawn to play Greek opponents in Europe, starting with a 1-1 draw at Aris Salonika to open our 1970/71 Cup Winners’ Cup campaign, secured by Ian Hutchinson’s late breakaway equaliser. The first half was incident-packed, as John Dempsey was sent off for a foul one minute after Peter Osgood had a penalty saved.

Back at Stamford Bridge for the second leg, the Blues won 5-1. Afterwards, an executive of the Thessaloniki club publicly predicted Dave Sexton’s Blues would be back in his homeland for the final in Piraeus – and he was proved right. The Londoners drew the final in Athens’ port against Real Madrid, but won the replay 2-1, Dempsey and Osgood with the goals that sank the Spanish galleon.

The venue in 1971, Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, remains the home of Olympiacos, who were the next Greeks bearing gifts in the Champions League Round of 16 in spring 2008. Stalemate on the banks of the Aegean was followed by a 3-0 cruise at the Bridge, with early strikes from midfield maestros Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard. Salomon Kalou netted the third.

Finally, we faced PAOK in the 2018/19 Europa League group stage. Willian’s seventh-minute opener proved the winner in Thessaloniki before Olivier Giroud (two), Callum Hudson-Odoi and Alvaro Morata sealed a comfortable 4-0 victory in London.

What unites all three ties against Hellenic hopefuls? Chelsea went on to reach the final of the competition each time.

Conference League top 20

Conference League regulations

All 36 clubs involved are ranked on the same table. After each has played six matches, the top eight will advance straight to March’s round of 16. The next eight must enter knock-out phase play-offs in February as seeds, to face one of the unseeded sides finishing in positions 17 to 24. Sides from 25 down are eliminated.

In the event that two or more clubs are tied on points after the league stage, rankings will be determined, in order, by: goal difference, goals scored, away goals scored, number of wins and number of away wins.

Know this…

This fixture brings together the second-youngest squad to feature in this season’s Conference League – Chelsea, average age 24.3 years – and the oldest – Panathinaikos, average age 29.8 years.

The Londoners have a good track record against Greek teams, winning 66.67 per cent of matches.

At home to Gent, 92.6 per cent of Chelsea passes were completed successfully, the highest of all matchday one teams. The scoreline against the Belgians was very much in the grand tradition of the Blues at the Bridge in Europe, though not as pulsating as previous 4-2s in 2004/05 - the round of 16 against Barcelona and quarter-final win that eliminated Bayern Munich.

European football in 1971 was a tale to two cities. While Chelsea beat Real Madrid in Panathinaikos’ home Athens to claim our first continental trophy, the Cup Winners’ Cup, the Greens lost their only-ever European Cup final to Ajax in London at Wembley.