Rafa Benitez facing Panathinaikos sack as Igor Biscan lined up

Rafa Benitez is teetering on the edge of unemployment after a short, disappointing spell at Panathinaikos. He arrived in Athens in October on a two-and-a-half-year deal reportedly worth about £3.5 million, but in his first 25 matches across all competitions has managed just 13 wins and suffered six defeats.

The club were seventh when he took charge and are now fifth, with the gap to the top two — and Champions League qualification — having widened during his tenure. That slide clashes with the club’s recent standards; Panathinaikos have not finished below the top five since the 2018-19 season, when they were eighth.

Discontent within the squad has added pressure, with some players frustrated by his training methods and a perceived lack of detailed tactical preparation despite Benitez’s reputation for meticulousness. He reportedly has two matches to save his job — a Europa League tie with Viktoria Plzen followed by a league game against OFI Crete — and failure could bring a dismissal with a compensation package of around £4.4m.

Greece, Athens

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