Preview: AEK Athens vs. Levski Sofia - prediction, team news, lineups

A place in the league phase of this season's Champions League is up for grabs in Athens on Wednesday as AEK Athens welcome Levski Sofia to AEK Arena for the second leg of their playoff tie.

While Luka Jovic's half-volley clipped the bar for AEK, they could not break the deadlock in Sofia, and Marko Nikolic's men head back to their home, aiming to finish the job against opponents who have not been beaten in 19 matches heading into this week's showdown.

Match preview

AEK's pre-season and first competitive match of the new campaign had been goal-laden until they met the brick wall that the Levski defence presented a week ago.

Enosi had netted two or more goals in five of their last six matches across all competitions heading into the fixture in Bulgaria, only to fail to beat Svetoslav Vutsov in the home team's goal, despite twice going close in the encounter.

The statistics showed that the Greek champions edged the match on clear-cut chances created, perhaps offering some encouragement for Nikolic, who has since lamented his side's inability to claim a narrow win ahead of the return leg.

Nonetheless, the Serbian manager's optimism was palpable heading into this week's tussle, as the Greek heavyweights bid to return to the Champions League proper for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

AEK came close three seasons back, only to fall to Antwerp in the playoff round, and this iteration hope to succeed where their recent predecessors failed to reach the main stage of Europe's premier club competition after their eight-year absence.

Those prospects are boosted when Levski supporters hark back to their previous encounters against Greece-based opponents.

Albeit from a small sample size of matches, the Bulgarian giants' three-match winless run against such teams does not bode well for their chances, having fallen to two losses and drawn one in previous matchups of this nature.

However, Julio Velazquez will back his team to snap that winless sequence as the Blues strive to extend their long-standing streak without losing, which extended to 19 matches after last week's stalemate in Sofia.

That draw was followed by a 6-0 annihilation of Spartak Varna over the weekend, showcasing their goalscoring prowess as they continued an impressive streak without conceding.

Velazquez's team have now gone six matches without letting an opponent in since playing a 2-2 draw with Universitatea Craiova in the second leg of their second qualifying round.

With Vutsov's goal staying unblemished since, Sinite hope to leverage their impressive compactness at the back in a bid to return to the continent's most prestigious competition for the first time in two decades, since the 2006-07 campaign.

AEK Athens Champions League form:

AEK Athens form (all competitions):

Levski Sofia Champions League form:

Levski Sofia form (all competitions):

Team News

Nikolic's team have stayed healthy in the early stages of their embryonic season, and they enter Wednesday's clash in fine fettle in preparation for Levski's visit.

Having endured a frustrating evening in Sofia, Jovic netted twice in the weekend's 4-0 league success over Iraklis, giving the forward a much-needed confidence shot before his side's decisive midweek clash.

While Barnabas Varga was also on the scoresheet in that victory, Razvan Marin's creativity in setting up two goals also stood out, as the Greek giants look to flex their muscle.

Like the hosts, who saw their star forward return to form in league play, Armstrong Okoflex also netted a brace in Levski's 6-0 success over Spartak Varna before his 72nd-minute withdrawal to keep him fresh for their Athens test.

However, Velazquez's men are hamstrung in some respects heading into the encounter, with Akram Bouras (muscle), Oliver Kamdem (knee), Mustapha Sangare (muscle), Radoslav Kirilov (knee) and Stipe Vulikic (foot) absent.

AEK Athens 2-0 Levski Sofia (AEK Athens win 2-0 on aggregate)

AEK Athens possible starting lineup:

Strakosha; Rota, Moukoudi, Relvas, Pilios; Majer, Kairinen, Marin, Koita; Jovic, Varga

Levski Sofia possible starting lineup:

Vutsov; Aldair, Dimitrov, Serafimov, Centelles; Moubarik, Mitkov; Okoflex, Serginho, Bala; Reinaldo

We say: AEK Athens 2-0 Levski Sofia (AEK Athens win 2-0 on aggregate)

Although Levski boast an imperious 19-match unbeaten run and a formidable streak of clean sheets, navigating the hostile atmosphere in Athens represents their sternest continental test yet.

With Jovic in lethal form after his weekend brace and Nikolic's men desperate to end an eight-year absence from Europe's premier competition, the Greek heavyweights should have the extra quality in the final third to break down the stubborn Bulgarian rearguard.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.