The Athens club finally reclaimed the league title in the spring. However, they have already dropped points several times in the Super League and are trailing the current leaders. There had been no trophies at the Santiago Bernabéu since the beginning of 2025. As a result, Mourinho was brought back as head coach during the summer. Yet by mid-autumn, even with him in charge, they had fallen behind Barcelona in La Liga. They did manage to win El Clásico, though.
The Greeks began their campaign back in the summer, in qualifying. They overcame Levski, thrashing them at home after a goalless draw away. They also opened the league phase with a 1-0 victory over LASK. Then, despite looking no worse than Shakhtar, they lost to them in October. Against Manchester City, it was an emphatic 0-5 defeat.
The Spanish giants began with their coach’s former charges. They managed to beat Inter 2-1 at home, taking advantage of their mistakes. Against Roma, they produced a superb remontada, turning a 1-3 deficit into a victory! They secured a commanding 4-1 win over RB Leipzig.
Previous matches: AEK – Real Madrid
And yet the head-to-head record is still even: in 1985, the clubs exchanged home wins, while in 2002 they played out two draws!
The visitors are noticeably stronger. We expect them to win with a -1.5-goal handicap (odds: 1.77).
AEK – Real Madrid: key statistics and trends
AEK have won two of their five Champions League matches
AEK Athens score an average of 3 goals and concede 0.43 goals per match
Both teams have scored in 43% of AEK’s matches, while the average total is 3.43 goals per game
Real Madrid have won three matches in a row
Real Madrid score an average of 2.5 goals and concede 1 goal per match
Both teams have scored in 70% of Real Madrid’s matches, while the average total is 3.5 goals per game
AEK – Real Madrid: possible starting lineups
AEK play in a 1-4-4-2 formation (possible lineup): Brignoli — Rota, Mukudi, Filipe Relvas, Pilios — Meyer, Marin, Vitalis, Koita — Jović, Zini
Real Madrid play in a 1-4-3-3 formation (possible lineup): Courtois — Dumfries, Rüdiger, Konaté, Cucurella — Valverde, Tchouaméni, Bellingham — Diomande, Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior
