AEK Athens vs. Real Madrid: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Soccer moves fast. Less than a month ago, Madrid were stumbling through the start of the second José Mourinho era without fully convincing anyone of their seriousness. That’s changed now.

The Clásico victory got the world’s attention, but it is just one win in a run of six for Los Blancos who appear to have found their groove. Now just three points off the top of the table in La Liga and with a perfect record in the Europe, Madrid, as a force, appear to be back.

Mourinho and Co. will be trying to not get carried away, with qualifying in the top eight of the Champions League’s league phase as their immediate goal. Considering recent form, anything other than a comfortable win at AEK Athens on Wednesday would be considered a real shock.

The defending Greek champions suffered defeat to Panathinaikos at the weekend, while they were taken apart by Manchester City 5–1—albeit away from home—last time out in Europe.

AEK Athens vs. Real Madrid Score Prediction

Greeks Powerless Against Madrid Might

After mixed performances in the wins over Inter and Roma, Real Madrid cruised to victory against RB Leipzig in their most recent European outing and are one of only five teams left with a flawless record in this season’s Champions League.

There is a renewed confidence at Madrid now, who have averaged 3.4 goals per game across their last five outings.

AEK Athens’ sole victory in the Champions League so far came at home against LASK, and they are undoubtedly a tougher proposition at the ALLWYN Arena. However, stopping Kylian Mbappé and the rest would rank as one of the club’s finer achievements in Europe.

Head-to-head record: The last time Madrid and AEK met was in the group stage of the Champions League back in 2002–03, with both matches ending in draws. Their only other competitive meeting came way back in the UEFA Cup in 1985–86, with Los Blancos winning 5–1 on aggregate.

Athens’ joker: Madrid will be reunited with Luka Jović, the Serbian striker who spent three seasons at the Bernabéu. He was AEK’s top scorer last season with 21 goals in all competitions.

Road men: After losing away at Atlético and Betis earlier in the season, Real Madrid have won their last three on the road, scoring nine total times against Roma, Barcelona and Racing.

Prediction: AEK Athens 1–4 Real Madrid

AEK Athens vs. Real Madrid Predicted Lineup

Goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha is Athens’ only doubt ahead of this one, as he continues to nurse a wrist injury. Otherwise, manager Marko Nikolić has a full roster to select from.

Stand-in keeper Alberto Brignoli has conceded 13 times in his last five games, including a 5–1 defeat to Man City and a 3–1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Jović is the danger man in attack and the 28-year-old will be eager to prove a point after a difficult spell at Real Madrid, which saw him score just three times in 51 appearances.

AEK Athens predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (4-1-3-2): Brignoli; Rota, Moukoudi, Relvas, Pilios; Arriaga; Majer, Marin, João Mário; Varga, Jović.

Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. AEK Athens

A hamstring issue kept club captain Federico Valverde out of the weekend’s win over Racing Santander and he is unlikely to be risked midweek despite making the trip to Greece. The fitness woe offers an opportunity to one of Denzel Dumfries or Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the two specialist right backs yet to fully (or even partially) win over Mourinho.

Raúl Asencio, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo are Madrid’s other injury absentees, while Vinícius Júnior could come back in, with his four-match ban not applicable to UEFA competitions. Whether he deserves to is another matter.

Managing rotation, while also keeping the positivity going, will be Mourinho’s main concern ahead of this one, with a trip to Valencia to come at the weekend before another international break.

The Portuguese boss opted to leave Arda Güler and Aurélien Tchouaméni back in Madrid for some much-needed rest and recovery, opening the door for Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga to start in their places.

Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. AEK Athens (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Dumfries, Rüdiger, Huijsen, Carreras; Camavinga, Silva; Diomande, Bellingham, Vinícius Jr; Mbappé.

What Time Does AEK Athens vs. Real Madrid Kick Off?

Location: Athens, Greece

Stadium: ALLWYN Arena

Date: Wednesday, Nov. 4

Kick-off Time: 12.45 p.m. ET / 9.45 a.m. PT / 5.45 p.m. BST

Referee: Maurizio Mariani (ITA)

How to Watch AEK Athens vs. Real Madrid on TV, Live Stream

MORE: Full list of Champions League broadcasters around the world