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A place in the UEFA Champions League group stages will be on the line on Wednesday when AEK Athens take on Royal Antwerp in the second leg of the playoffs at the AEK Stadium.
Matías Almeyda’s men will head into the game looking to overturn their first-leg deficit, having suffered a 1-0 defeat when the sides met in Belgium last week.
AEK continue to struggle for results as they were held to a 1-1 draw by newly-promoted Panserraikos in the Super League last Saturday.
Prior to that, Almeyda’s side fell to a 1-0 defeat against Royal Antwerp in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs at the Bosuilstadion.
AEK Athens have now gone three straight games without a win, their longest run of successive games without a victory since April 2022.
Royal Antwerp, on the other hand, head into Wednesday’s return leg unbeaten in three consecutive games across all competitions, claiming two wins and one draw since a 1-0 loss to Anderlecht on August 6.
This run has seen Mark van Bommel's men get up and running in the new Belgian Jupiler League campaign, where they have picked up seven points from their opening three games.
However, Antwerp are without a win in their last four away matches, stretching back to a 2-0 victory against Union Saint-Gilloise on May 3.
AEK Athens vs Royal Antwerp Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- AEK Athens have a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture, having won two of the previous three meetings between the sides.
- Royal Antwerp’s only victory came in last week’s reverse leg when Vincent Janssen netted in the 16th minute to see off the Greek outfit.
- AEK Athens are unbeaten in 10 of their last 11 matches across all competitions, claiming six wins and four draws since mid-April.
- Antwerp are winless in their last four away matches across all competitions, losing twice and claiming two draws since May’s loss to Saint-Gilloise.
AEK Athens vs Royal Antwerp Prediction
Royal Antwerp had their work cut out in the first leg and should anticipate another fierce battle against a well-drilled AEK Athens side.
The Greek outfit have been near impenetrable at home, where they are unbeaten in their last eight competitive matches, and we are backing them to turn the tie on its head.
Prediction: AEK Athens 2-0 Royal Antwerp
AEK Athens vs Royal Antwerp Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - AEK Athens to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - No (There have been fewer than three goals scored in six of Royal Antwerp’s last seven games)
Tip 3: More than 10.5 corners - Yes (There have been 11 or more corner kicks in five of the hosts’ last six outings)
