Manchester City vs AEK Athens: Are the visitors strong enough to derail Man City's UEFA Champions League celebration?
by Thobelani Moyo | by Cydias Aujard
The Citizens seek to bounce back in their 150th UCL game
Head coach Enzo Maresca has been a breath of fresh air since joining Manchester City on a three-year contract, succeeding Pep Guardiola. The 46-year-old has made a perfect start to the 2026-27 Premier League campaign, maintaining a 100% record from his first seven games. In this stretch, his side has posted the second-best offensive record, scoring 19 goals and conceding seven.
The Citizens recently dismantled Ipswich Town in their recent EPL encounter over the weekend. The team secured a 3-2 home win with Erling Haaland making the headlines once again by scoring twice before being subbed off after an apparent injury.
Enzo Maresca is doing great in domestic action, but the issue has been on the European stage.
Now, the Manchester outfit shifts its attention to the UEFA Champions League. This is where Enzo Maresca has had some minor issues, as evidenced by their previous fixture against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, suffering a 4-2 home defeat. That result alone brought an end to an eight-match winning streak in all competitions.
However, it was a joyous night for Erling Haaland, who scored twice in that match, bringing his goal tally in the competition to 37 goals, surpassing Sergio Agüero's previous record of 36 goals. He is now the club's all-time leading scorer in the competition.
Manchester City also enter this clash having reached a milestone. The clash against AEK Athens marks their 150th game in the UEFA Champions League/European Cup proper. The assignment couldn't have been easier: respond to their previous disappointment with a victory that would propel them up the standings. Also, this is their 15th successive campaign in Europe’s elite competition, which has been marked down on paper as the longest run by an English side.
Success here should come easy as they take on AEK Athens. This is the first meeting between the two sides in this competition, but the home side does have some history against Greek opposition to boast about. They have faced giants Olympiacos in the UCL group stages and won both outings.
Manchester City's record against Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League:
- 25 November 2020 (Group C): Olympiacos 0-1 Manchester City
- 03 November 2020 (Group C): Manchester City 3-0 Olympiacos
See our Manchester City vs AEK Athens prediction
Can the Greek club do the impossible on MD3 despite a dismal away record?
AEK Athens face a tough test on the road. After a 3-1 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk at Stamford Bridge on MD2 in the UEFA Champions League, the team is trying to bounce back. While this is their first-ever meeting with Manchester City, one cannot deny they are stepping into the lion's den.
Indeed, the Double-Headed Eagle have been performing at their best this season, as the aforementioned setback was their first loss in 12 games. During the stretch, they posted eight wins and three draws. One of those wins was a 1-0 triumph over LASK in the opening UEFA Champions League - League Phase.
AEK Athens have not been at their best on the road in the UCL. That could be a problem!
Despite their incredible run leading up to this matchup, our experts still expect them to suffer another second consecutive defeat in this competition, as mentioned in our secondary Manchester City vs AEK Athens prediction. One of the contributing factors leading to this pick is the visitors' dismal record in European competition, particularly in the UEFA Champions League.
They arrive at the Etihad Stadium winless in their last 19 away encounters. To further compound their woes, their defense has been fragile in nine of their last ten away matches, conceding 2+ goals. For their opponents, this will be a blessing in disguise as they look to capitalize on that poor display and secure a dominant win.
AEK Athens UCL Record across these 19 matches:
- Wins: 0
- Draws: 6
- Losses: 13
- Goals scored: 13
- Goals conceded: 40
AEK Athens also have a poor record against English opposition, having lost seven of their last eight encounters with teams from England. A victory here would not only make them the first Greek side to defeat Manchester City but also the first to find the net against them.
Talisman a doubt: No Braut-al performance from Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is a major doubt for this upcoming encounter after the prolific talisman limped off in the team's 3-2 home win over Ipswich Town in the Premier League over the weekend.
The Norwegian international made his presence felt, scoring twice. This extended his Premier League tally to eight, making him the league's top scorer.
A historic milestone was reached at the end of the day. The 26-year-old made the headlines with his 100th Premier League goal in 139 appearances. That achievement excludes non-penalty goals, making him the fastest player to reach that milestone in the competition's history.
Over to the Champions League, he has scored four goals in two appearances and is one of the joint-top goalscorers. His brace against PSG last time out was his 37th in the competition. This was achieved in just 41 appearances for City. He surpassed Sergio Agüero's record of 36 UCL goals in 64 appearances.
It doesn't end there; Haaland reached 60 UEFA Champions League goals in 60 appearances at just 26 years and 85 days old. On paper, he is the youngest player to reach this milestone. The previous player to hold this record was Lionel Messi at 26 years and 86 days old.
Erling Haaland stats in the UEFA Champions League this season:
- Expected goals (xG): 2.19
- xG on target (xGOT): 3.48
- Non-penalty xG: 2.19
- Shots: 14
- Shots on target: 7
- Top speed: 35.1 km/h
- Distance covered: 20.0 km
With the possibility of the talisman being sidelined for eight weeks with an ankle injury, Phil Foden is expected to be the likely replacement this Tuesday to lead the attack. The real test is whether he can shoulder the goalscoring burden that Haaland has carried so effectively.
