City are set to be without Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly and more first-team players for the visit of AEK Athens on Tuesday night.
Best bets for Manchester City vs AEK Athens
- AEK Athens +3 (Handicap 3-way) at odds of 2.00 with Betway
- Both teams to score (Yes) at odds of 2.15 with Betway
- Iliman Ndiaye anytime goalscorer at odds of 2.50 with Betway
Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction: Man City 3-1 AEK Athens
- Goalscorers prediction: Man City: Ndiaye, Cherki, Anderson - AEK Athens: Jović
Manchester City host AEK Athens at the Etihad on Tuesday aiming to land their second win of the 2026/27 Champions League league phase. It is City’s 150th match in Europe’s elite club football competition.
City narrowly overcame newly promoted Ipswich 3-2 at home on Saturday. That followed a disappointing 4-2 defeat by PSG last week.
Their European campaign began with a 2-0 win away at Porto. Enzo Maresca’s side have points on the board already.
Erling Haaland is expected to be rested on Tuesday, with the Norwegian limping off against Ipswich at full-time. Antoine Semenyo is a doubt with a knee injury, while Nico O’Reilly is set to miss out with a back problem. Mateo Kovačić and Matheus Nunes also had to come off with injuries during the weekend.
Under Marko Nikolić, AEK stormed to the Greek title last season with just two defeats in 32 league games.
AEK opened their 2026/27 Champions League league-phase campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over LASK Linz before falling to a 3-1 defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk. Luka Jović and Barnabás Varga have four league goals each. Neither has scored in the Champions League proper yet.
Probable lineups for Manchester City vs AEK Athens
Manchester City expected lineup: Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Guéhi, Gvardiol, Bouaddi, Anderson, Cherki, Fernández, Ndiaye, Foden
AEK Athens expected lineup: Brignoli, Rota, Moukoudi, Relvas, Pilo, Majer, Kairinen, Marin, Vitalis, Varga, Jović
Heavily rotated City give AEK room to compete
City are certain to be heavily rotated here. Haaland is expected to be rested after a demanding run of games. Semenyo is doubtful, and Nico O’Reilly is to miss out injured.
Kovačić and Nunes were both withdrawn against Ipswich. Phil Foden may have to operate as a makeshift false nine.
Margins have been tight for City too. They beat Ipswich 3-2 and Coventry 1-0 at the Etihad. AEK only need to avoid losing by three for this bet to land. However, AEK have never won away in the competition proper.
It looks like there’s more than a 50% chance of AEK avoiding a heavy defeat against a jaded and rotated City. This is arguably the best value bet from our Manchester City vs AEK Athens predictions.
- Manchester City vs AEK Athens Bet 1: AEK Athens +3 (Handicap 3-way) at odds of 2.00 with Betway
City are increasingly leaky at the Etihad
City keep conceding at home this season. Both teams have scored in four of their last six games at the Etihad. PSG put four past them in midweek.
Ipswich also found the net twice at the weekend. A newly promoted side scoring twice at the Etihad has been a rare occurrence. Sunderland even struck three times in their 5-3 loss last month.
AEK carry more threat than their status suggests. Luka Jović and Barnabás Varga both have four league goals. Neither has scored in the Champions League proper yet. City have also kept four clean sheets against Greek sides. We can back both teams to find the net at least once at a modest 46.5% implied probability.
- Manchester City vs AEK Athens Bet 2: Both teams to score (Yes) at odds of 2.15 with Betway
Ndiaye to rise to the challenge
With Haaland expected to be rested, Iliman Ndiaye could take on a more prominent role in City’s attack. Foden is pencilled in as the makeshift false nine after scoring against Ipswich.
That spreads the goal threat around the team. Ndiaye will get chances against a side that shipped three to Shakhtar. He is free to cut inside and get shots away.
AEK have never won away in the Champions League proper. Their record in this competition on the road reads five draws and 11 defeats. Nikolić will likely sit deep and defend the box. Backing Ndiaye to score at a 40% implied probability looks like a fair bet. He is yet to score in a City jersey, so this will be a great opportunity for him to open his account.
- Manchester City vs AEK Athens Bet 3: Iliman Ndiaye anytime goalscorer at odds of 2.50 with Betway