A place in the group stage is the prize as Antwerp host AEK Athens in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff tie. The Belgian champions are joining the competition at this stage and with the Greeks already through several qualifying rounds, they will be keen to hold on to something for the second leg.
Antwerp are taking part in a top-level Champions League fixture for the first time in 66 years. They drew a bye straight into the playoff round after emerging champions of the Belgian topflight, beating out European regulars like Club Brugge and Genk to the title.
While this is Antwerp’s first Champions League fixture in a long time, they did reach the group stage of the Europa League in 2020-21 and 2021-22. However, they made early exits on both occasions and failed to each the group phase of the Europa Conference League last season.
Antwerp may be joining the Champions League at the playoff stage but they have been in competition mode for a while with the Belgian First Division already four weeks old. Mark Van Bommel’s men have made an erratic start to the campaign and are fifth on the standings after claiming two wins from their opening four matches.
In contrast to Antwerp, AEK Athens are yet to kick things off domestically with their taste of competitive action only coming in the Champions League. They joined the competition in the third round and claimed a 4-3 aggregate victory over Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in a feisty encounter.
AEK Athens are also looking to end a lengthy absence from the UEFA Champions League having last featured in the group stage of the competition in 1996-97. They also phase in the group phase of the 2017-18 Europa League, progressing toothed round of 16 before losing to Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev.
A positive for AEK Athens is that they travel to Antwerp with plenty of confidence having suffered just one defeat in their last 10 matches across all competitions. Matias Almeyda’s men have claimed eight wins in that run, including a 3-0 victory at Bosuilstadion in a friendly back in July.
How the bookies view it
Antwerp are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 23/20 by William Hill. A victory for AEK Athens is valued at 5/2 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 49/20 by Unibet.
Head to head
While Antwerp and AEK Athens have never met in any major European competitive fixture, they clashed in a friendly back in July which ended 3-0 in favour of the Greeks.
Players to watch
Vincent Janssen has made a flying start to the season for Antwerp, netting four times already in the in the First Division. The Dutch striker is priced at 7/4 by William Hill to carry his goalscoring form into Europe.
AEK Athens can also hold their own going forward and will look to Sergio Araujo to provide the spark in attack. The Argentine was on target last time out against Dinamo Zagreb and is priced at 16/5 by William Hill to find the net on Tuesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Antwerp and AEK Athens boast some quality in attack and both teams could be backed to score at 10/11 with bet365. The Greeks saw over 3.5 goals last time out against Dinamo Zagreb and a repeat is priced at 29/10 with Unibet while over 2.5 goals is valued at 11/10 by Paddy Power.
With a closely fought encounter expected on Tuesday, a halftime draw can also be considered at 11/10 with William Hill.
This UEFA Champions League match between Antwerp and AEK Athens will be played on Aug 22, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Antwerp vs AEK Athens prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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