Manchester City vs AEK Athens Preview, prediction, injury news & lineups | Champions League 2026-27

This will be the first-ever outing between these clubs!

Manchester City are all set to lock horns with AEK Athens for their third league phase clash of the UEFA Champions League 2026-27 campaign. This is going to be an interesting outing to witness, taking place at the Etihad Stadium.

The Cityzens faced a 2-4 loss at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in their last UCL fixture. They conceded three goals in the first half and it piled on a massive amount of pressure on them. Manchester City will be looking to get back to winning ways and must come up with a sharp performance in defence. They have conceded six goals in their last two games.

The Enzo Maresca-led side will be at home for their upcoming contest and this is only going to be a big positive for them.

After winning their opening game of the UEFA Champions League 2026-27 edition, AEK Athens suffered a 1-3 loss at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk in their second one. They will now be eager to jump back to winning ways, in what is going to be a tough contest for them.

Marko Nikolić’s men will be away from home and must make sure not to allow their Man City to control the majority of the tempo. The Yellow-Blacks should come up with an aggressive approach against the struggling defence of their opposition.

Kick-off:

• Location: Manchester, England
• Stadium: Etihad Stadium
• Date: Wednesday, October 21
• Kick-off Time: 12:30 am IST (Tuesday, Oct 20; 07:00 pm GMT/ 03:00 pm ET/ 12:00 pm PT)
• Referee: TBA
• VAR: In use

Form:

Man City: W-W-W-L-W

AEK Athens: D-W-W-W-L

Players to Watch

Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Erling Haaland has now scored five goals in just the last three games for Manchester City and is on a sensational run of form. He is going to play an important role in the final third once again and will be a constant threat because of his presence on the field. The Norwegian forward continues to be the main source of goals for the Premier League side.

Lovro Majer (AEK Athens)

The 28-year-old will be looking to step up his game so that he can help his side stand a chance against Man City in their upcoming Champions League clash. He was the sole goal scorer for AEK Athens in their 1-3 loss against Shakhtar. Lovro Majer will be once again deployed on the right flank and his work rate shall be crucial for the visitors.

Match Facts

• Manchester City have conceded six goals in their last two matches.
• AEK Athens have conceded six goals in their last five fixtures.
• These clubs will battle against each other for the first time.

Betting Tips & Odds

• Man City to win @1/9 BetTom
• Erling Haaland to score @4/11 Coral
• Goals over 3.5 @4/5 bet365

Injury and Team News

Manchester City have all of their squad members fit and ready to be in action.

Thomas Strakosh is going to miss out for AEK Athens because of his wrist injury.

Head-to-Head

Matches played: 0

Man City (wins): 0

AEK Athens (wins): 0

Draws: 0

Predicted Lineups

Man City predicted XI (4-2-3-1)

Donnarumma (GK); Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Fernandez, Anderson; Foden, Cherki, Doku; Haaland

AEK Athens predicted XI (4-4-2)

Brignoli (GK); Rota, Moukoudi, Relvas, Pilios; Majer, Vitalis, Marin, Koita; Jovic, Zine

Match Prediction

With superior squad quality and the home ground advantage, Manchester City will have a clear edge over their opponents. AEK Athens are likely to struggle against the Cityzens.

Enzo Maresca’s men are likely to come out on top and secure three points.

Prediction: Manchester City 4-1 AEK Athens

Telecast Details

India: Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV

UK: TNT Sports, Amazon Prime, BBC

Greece: MagentaTV platform, AlterEgo

USA: Paramount+, TUDN, DAZN

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