Preview: AEK Athens vs Celje – prediction, team news, lineups

AEK Athens play host to Celje within the second leg of their Conference League final 16 tie on Thursday night trying to cruise over the road into the quarter-finals.

With the Greek giants having prevailed 4-0 in Slovenia, they are going to count on to have a cushty night time on the Agia Sophia Stadium.

Match preview

At a time when the likes of Crystal Palace and Strasbourg are being touted as favourites for this competitors, AEK Athens have been quietly going about their enterprise.

Since the beginning of the League Phase, the Greek facet have recorded 5 wins, one draw and one defeat, the setback sarcastically coming to Celje of their first match.

As nicely as beating the likes of Fiorentina and Samsumspor throughout that interval, Marko Nicolic’s facet thrashed Celje within the first leg of their final-16 tie final week.

AEK Athens have been 4-0 forward by the forty ninth-minute mark, and should have scored extra had they not chosen to relaxation gamers throughout the closing quarter of the competition. As it stands, they’re heading in the right direction to fulfill both Samsunspor or Rayo Vallecano within the quarter-finals.

Nicolic’s team are actually unbeaten in 10 matches (W6 D4) throughout all competitions, at a time once they sit in a 3-method tie for high spot within the Greek Super League table.

© Imago

After reaching the quarter-finals of this competitors in 2024-25, Celje would have been optimistic of a repeat efficiency this time round.

However, regardless of ending in thirteenth spot within the League Phase, the Slovenian outfit are already left to concentrate on home issues barring some of the astonishing comebacks in current European historical past.

This is a team that has received 4 and misplaced 4 of their most up-to-date eight fixtures in all competitions, their 1-0 victory at 10-man and third-positioned Koper on Sunday ending a 3-match shedding streak.

That marked Vitor Campelos‘ first sport in cost after his appointment late final week. Celje now sit seven factors clear on the high of the Prva Liga table, remaining heading in the right direction to reclaim the title that they misplaced with a fourth-positioned end final season.

In their final six matches within the Conference League, Celje’s solely two victories have been in opposition to Kosovan membership Drita within the playoff spherical, prevailing 3-2 on each events.

AEK Athens Conference League kind:

W D W W W W

AEK Athens kind (all competitions):

D W D W W D

Celje Conference League kind:

L L D W W L

Celje kind (all competitions):

W W L L L W

Team News

© Imago

While AEK Athens don’t have any gamers suspended for this contest, six will miss the subsequent sport if they’re booked throughout this fixture.

As a consequence, Luka Jovic, Petros Mantalos, Razvan Marin, Orbelin Pineda, Lazaros Rota and Domagoj Vida might all be thought-about for locations on the substitutes’ bench.

The likes of James Penrice, Roberto Pereyra and Zini are choices to be supplied with alternatives at full-again, central midfield and in assault respectively.

Meanwhile, Celje boss Campelos might wish to construct some continuity after a change in formation led to a tough-fought win in a pivotal league sport on Sunday.

However, goalkeeper Zan Luk Leban may return between the sticks having changed Luka Kolar throughout the early minutes of the sport with Koper.

Ivan Calusic, Andrej Kotnik and Papa Daniel may additionally be thought-about to deliver contemporary legs to the midfield.

AEK Athens attainable beginning lineup:

Strakosha; Penrice, Moukoudi, Relvas, Pilios; Gacinovic, Pereyra, Marin, Koita; Zini, Varga

Celje attainable beginning lineup:

Leban; Nieto, Hrka, Karnicnik, Tutyskinas; Calusic; Avdyli, Daniel, Kvesic, Iosifov; Kucys

We say: AEK Athens 3-0 Celje (AEK Athens to win 7-0 on mixture)

While it might be comprehensible if AEK make plenty of modifications for this contest, it could not make a lot distinction to the top consequence. Celje can be enjoying for pleasure, however we nonetheless count on a routine win for the Greek facet.

For knowledge evaluation of the almost certainly outcomes, scorelines and extra for this match please click here.