AEK performed very well in Bulgaria, earning a scoreless draw against Levski Sofia in their first matchup.
Now, everything will be decided in the crucial rematch in Nea Filadelfia, where Marco Nikolić’s team will host Levski Sofia on Wednesday evening (August 26 – 10:00 p.m.) at a packed “Allwyn Arena,” with a spot in the Champions League League Phase at stake.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
And what are their chances of achieving this goal? According to “Football Meets Data,” AEK has a 74% chance of advancing, while the Bulgarian team’s chances stand at 26%. The Greek champions are looking to secure one of the last four “magic” spots, which will place them in Pot 4 of the draw—that is, in the fourth seeding group.
Ahead of Wednesday’s (August 26) second-leg matches, including AEK vs. Levski Sofia, 32 teams have so far secured their spots in the League Phase of Europe’s premier club competition.
First, Robert Ljumičić’s Linz pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the Champions League qualifiers, as, after falling 3-0 to Celtic in the first leg, they won 5-1 in extra time of the second leg and advanced to the League Phase. Then came the… miracle from Sabah.
Valdas Dabrauskas’s team defeated Hapoel Be’er Sheva 5-2 in extra time, following a 3-2 win in regulation, and advanced to the Champions League League Phase for the first time in its history.
Finally, with a second three-goal victory over Nijmegen, Bodø/Glimt qualified for the League Phase of Europe’s premier club competition for the second consecutive year.
With that, four spots remain to complete the Group Stage lineup, and those will be decided in Wednesday’s (August 26) playoff second legs.
The 32 teams that have qualified for the League Phase
Pot 1
- Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Real Madrid (Spain)
- Paris Saint-Germain (France)
- Liverpool (England)
- Inter (Italy)
- Manchester City (England)
- Arsenal (England)
- Barcelona (Spain)
- Atlético Madrid (Spain)
Pot 2
- Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
- Roma (Italy)
- Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)
- Aston Villa (England)
- Porto (Portugal)
- Manchester United (England)
- Club Brugge (Belgium)
- Betis (Spain)
- PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
Pot 3
- Feyenoord (Netherlands)
- Lille (France)
- Napoli (Italy)
- Leipzig (Germany)
- Villarreal (Spain)
- Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
- Galatasaray (Turkey)
- Bodo/Glimt (Norway)
Pot 4
- LASK (Austria)
- Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
- Stuttgart (Germany)
- Como (Italy)
- Lens (France)
- Sabah (Azerbaijan)
*photo source: AP
