Antwerp-AEK Athens is a match valid for the first leg of the Champions League qualifying playoffs and is played Tuesday at 9 p.m.: predictions.
Aek Athens’ comeback in the preliminary round with Dinamo Zagreb is certainly destined to occupy a small place in the history of this competition.
For the reigning Greek champions, after winning the first leg 2-1 last Saturday – the match had been postponed for a few days because of the clashes in which, before the Zagreb match, a young yellow and yellow supporter lost his life – it had turned out very badly: at halftime, in fact, the guests were leading 2-0 and seemed to be one step away from qualifying for the play-offs. In the second half, however, everything happened: Sergio Araujo shortened the gap and, a few minutes later, while the referee already had the whistle in his mouth, Levi Garcia appeared on the penalty spot to shoot the penalty that would have avoided extra time. He missed it, but on the goalkeeper’s rebound, ironically, it was child’s play for Domagoj Vida, Croatian national team member as well as former Dinamo, to deposit the ball into the net, condemning his old team to elimination and sending an entire nation into ecstasy (the match was being played behind closed doors for public order reasons).
Antwerp did not get off to a rocket start
Aek continues to dream of returning to the Champions League group stage after four years since their last participation. The next obstacle is Belgium’s Antwerp.
van Bommel
The Red and White coached by former Milan player Mark van Bommel did not have to face any more preliminaries unlike the Greeks, who instead started from the third round. Last season they returned to win a domestic title after a very long wait-they had not succeeded in over sixty years-but in the first four games of the 2023-24 Pro League they did not shine, quite the contrary. After winning the national Super Cup against Mechelen, two home victories came against Cercle Brugge and Kortrijk, but on the road Antwerp has so far barely picked up a point (defeat against Anderlecht and a draw in Leuven).
The Prediction
There is a recent precedent, with the two teams playing each other in a friendly last July. It ended 3-0 for Aek Athens, but it would not be fair to rely on that test, as both Almeyda’s and van Bommel’s men were still feeling the effects of workloads and had just begun their preparation. The yellow-and-whites in any case seem to have more experience and personality, and the incredible comeback with Dinamo Zagreb, a stronger opponent on paper, demonstrated this perfectly. It is very likely that they will be able to at least avoid defeat in Belgium and then play it all out in Greece.
The probable lineups of Antwerp-AEK Athens
- ANVERSA (4-3-3): Butez; Bataille, De Laet, Alderweireld, Avila; Ekkelenkamp, Vermeeren, Balikwisha; Kerk, Janssen, Ondrejka.
- AEK ATHENS (4-2-3-1): Stankovic; Sidibe, Vida, Moukoudi, Hajsafi; Jonsson, Szymanski; Amrabat, Zuber, Pineda; Araujo.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
