AEK Athens vs Real Madrid: Match Preview and Prediction

Competition: UEFA Champions League
Match: AEK Athens vs Real Madrid
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Kick-off: 11:15 PM IST
Venue: Allwyn Arena, Athens

Match Preview

AEK Athens welcome Real Madrid for an exciting Champions League league-phase encounter.

Real Madrid arrive in excellent form, having won all three of their opening Champions League matches against Inter Milan, Roma and RB Leipzig. José Mourinho's side have also won six consecutive matches in all competitions, scoring 18 goals during that run.

AEK Athens, meanwhile, have collected three points from their opening three European matches. They started with a victory against LASK but subsequently suffered defeats against Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester City.

Madrid will be favourites, but AEK's home advantage could make this a challenging evening for the Spanish giants.

AEK Athens Team News

AEK have a few fitness concerns ahead of this encounter.

Goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha is unavailable with a hand injury. Joao Mario and Lazaros Rota are also doubts due to illness.

Former Real Madrid striker Luka Jović will be one of AEK's key attacking players. Barnabás Varga, who has been among their leading goalscorers this season, will also be important.

Real Madrid Team News

Real Madrid have some injury concerns ahead of their trip to Greece.

Rodrygo is unavailable with a knee injury, while Raúl Asencio is also expected to miss the match.

Vinícius Júnior is available for European selection despite his domestic suspension. Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Vinícius will provide Madrid with considerable attacking quality.

Federico Valverde has returned to training and could be available for selection.

Head-to-Head

AEK Athens and Real Madrid have met four times in European competition.

Both teams have won once, while the other two encounters ended in draws.

Their last two meetings came in the 2002/03 Champions League group stage, with a 3-3 draw in Athens and a 2-2 draw in Madrid.

Interestingly, AEK have never lost a home match against Real Madrid.

Players to Watch

AEK Athens: Luka Jović, Barnabás Varga, Razvan Marin

Real Madrid: Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham

Match Prediction

AEK have a strong home record and have previously troubled Real Madrid in Athens. However, Madrid's current form and attacking quality give them a significant advantage.

With Mbappé and Vinícius leading the attack, Real Madrid have enough quality to secure another Champions League victory.

Prediction: AEK Athens 1-3 Real Madrid

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