After winning their first league phase game against LASK Linz, AEK Athens have since lost to Shakhtar and Man City. Real represent another stiff test.
Best bets for AEK Athens vs Real Madrid
- Real Madrid to Win and Both Teams to Score at odds of 2.25 with Betway
- Over 3.5 Goals at odds of 1.75 with Betway
- Over 1 Goal (1st Half) at odds of 1.90 with Betway
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Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction: AEK Athens 1-3 Real Madrid
- Goalscorers prediction: AEK Athens: Jovic - Real Madrid: Mbappe, Vinicius, Guler
Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid travel to Athens on Wednesday night, looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2026/27 UCL league phase.
AEK Athens sit in 29th place in the table, with only three points from their first three games. Their UCL campaign started brightly with a 1-0 home win against LASK Linz. However, they’ve since suffered two away defeats versus Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester City. Leading into this match, they’ve lost four of their last five games in all competitions.
Defeats to PAOK (3-1) and Panathinaikos (2-0) domestically have hit AEK hard. The hosts are also missing their first-choice goalkeeper, Thomas Strakosha, this week with a wrist injury. Listed as questionable are Lazaros Rota and João Mário, both due to illness, so they might miss out as well.
It’s been a good few weeks for Mourinho’s side. Madrid won the first El Clasico of the season at Camp Nou and are undefeated in the UCL league phase. They've also averaged 3.4 goals per game in their last five outings across all competitions.
Vinicius Jr. is returning to the starting lineup after serving a four-game domestic suspension. Real recently earned their sixth straight win in all competitions with a 3-0 win at Racing Santander, setting up their trip to Athens.
Probable lineups for AEK Athens vs Real Madrid
AEK Athens expected lineup: Brignoli; Rota, Moukoudi, Relvas, Pilios, Arriaga, Majer, Marin, Mario, Jovic, Varga
Real Madrid expected lineup: Courtois; Dumfries, Rudiger, Huijsen, Carreras, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe
Real to win despite failing to keep a clean sheet… again
Real have been perfect so far in the 2026/27 UCL league phase. They’ve won every game, but have also conceded in each one. Los Blancos defeated Inter 2-1 and RB Leipzig 4-1 at the Bernabeu, and delivered a very entertaining visit to Rome, ending in a 4-3 victory.
AEK have also scored at least once in all three of their UCL league phase outings this season. They have lost both of their two most recent games, but still shown that they can make the most of their scoring chances.
Real have enough firepower that conceding once usually doesn't stop them from winning UCL matches. With Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., and Jude Bellingham in their lineup, they can score freely. We can back a Real win without a clean sheet at a 44.4% implied probability.
- AEK Athens vs Real Madrid Bet 1: Real Madrid to Win and Both Teams to Score at odds of 2.25 with Betway
Athens is braced for another high-scoring UCL night
There is every reason to expect another high-scoring affair on Wednesday evening. Real Madrid’s first three UCL league phase games saw 15 goals, averaging 5.0 goals per game. We even saw seven goals in their hectic victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico
AEK’s own European fixtures have delivered 11 goals, which is an average of 3.6 goals per game. In their first three games, they’ve allowed nine goals. If things go to form, Real could score three themselves, requiring only one from the hosts to clear the Over 3.5 Goals line.
We can back Over 3.5 Goals at a 57% implied probability. This feels like the value play from our AEK Athens vs Real Madrid predictions. 66% of AEK’s games have featured four or more goals and 100% of Real’s matches have cleared this line.
- AEK Athens vs Real Madrid Bet 2: Over 3.5 Goals at odds of 1.75 with Betway
Both sides have a habit of starting matches fast
Two-thirds, or 66%, of AEK’s UCL league phase matches have yielded at least two first-half goals. The same thing goes for Real. Yet the betting markets surprisingly suggest there’s only a 52% likelihood of this happening tonight.
Only five of Real’s 15 goals scored have indeed arrived in the first half. However, AEK have scored before the break in two of their three matches also. Mourinho will ideally look to get the job done in the first period. This should allow him to give some much-needed rest to Mbappe and Bellingham, who have been playing heavy minutes this season.
Real also started impressively fast in their last La Liga game against Racing Santander. They raced into a 3-0 lead before half time, demonstrating their ability to stifle their opponents early. Backing two or more first half goals is a play we like here.
- AEK Athens vs Real Madrid Bet 3: Over 1 Goal (1st Half) at odds of 1.90 with Betway