Austrian club set for Champions League debut. AEK Athens vs LASK prediction
AEK and LASK will meet on Tuesday, 8 September, in the opening round of the UEFA Champions League league phase. The match will take place in Athens, with kick-off at 18:45 CET. I am backing a goals market in this game.
H2H and statistical facts
- AEK are unbeaten in 13 consecutive matches.
- The Greeks have conceded just one goal in their previous six games.
- LASK have won their last four matches.
- The teams have never previously met.
Convincing start to the season for the Greeks
AEK head into the start of the Champions League league phase in good shape. Marco Nikolić’s side have played three rounds of the Greek league and collected seven points: after home victories over Iraklis (4-0) and Aris (5-0), they drew 1-1 away from home. The Athens club have therefore already scored 10 goals and conceded just one.
AEK’s route to the Champions League league phase began in the qualifying rounds. The Greeks progressed past Levski, drawing 0-0 in Sofia before comfortably beating their opponents in the second leg to secure their place in the league phase.
The level of opposition now rises considerably, with AEK already set to face Manchester City, Real Madrid, Galatasaray, Roma and Borussia Dortmund. As a result, a home game against LASK looks like one of the more favourable opportunities for Nikolić’s side to begin the competition with a victory.
Home advantage will be an important factor for AEK. The match will be played at their Athens stadium, where the team traditionally receive strong support from their fans. The start of the season has also shown that the hosts can be highly aggressive in attack: 10 goals in three league matches highlight their strong finishing.
Austrians set for Champions League debut
LASK, meanwhile, head into the match after a very busy period. The Austrians have won all five of their opening Bundesliga matches, scoring 15 goals in the process. Their position at the top of the table after the opening stretch of the season is therefore hardly surprising.
LASK’s European campaign has been far more dramatic. In the first leg of their Champions League play-off against Celtic, the Austrians suffered a 3-0 defeat, but produced an incredible comeback in the return fixture, thrashing the Scottish side 5-1 and progressing 5-4 on aggregate. The team therefore demonstrated not only their attacking potential but also their character in a critical situation. LASK will now begin the Champions League league phase for the first time, giving the upcoming match particular significance.
At the same time, the Austrian club will have to cope with an unusually high level of pressure. The trip to Athens will represent a much tougher test for LASK than most of their domestic league fixtures.
The difference in European experience between the two teams is also worth highlighting. AEK have already negotiated a qualifying round and know how important results in home matches can be. LASK, meanwhile, received a huge emotional boost from their victory over Celtic but must now carry that momentum into a new stage of the competition.
Probable line-ups
- AEK Athens: Strakoša, Rota, Moukoudi, Rélvass, Pilios, Kairinen, Marin, Koita, Meyer, Zini, Jović.
- LASK: Jungwirth, Andrade, Tórnich, Mbuyamba, Bello, Mølgaard, Ljubičić, Bogarde, Horvat, Usor, Lang.
What to bet on?
AEK look like favourites thanks to home advantage, greater European experience and their impressive goalscoring form at the start of the season. LASK are capable of causing problems and are unlikely to sit exclusively in defence. Both teams are in good form, so this is unlikely to be a straightforward outing for the hosts. My pick is both teams to score.
