Opportunity knocks for Greek champions
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - 3RD QUALIFYING ROUND (LEG 1)
| Celtic | 21:45 (GR) | AEK |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, 8-Aug |
The moment of truth for AEK Athens has arrived. After last year’s UEFA Champions League disappointment with CSKA Moscow, the reigning Greek champions have the opportunity to banish those demons against Celtic. AGONAsport previews the first leg of the third qualifying round.
Last season, AEK recovered from the early Champions League setback to CSKA Moscow to perform admirably in the UEFA Europa League, exiting at the Last 32 stage against Dynamo Kyiv without losing a single match. Nevertheless, this year, the Enosis are aiming to stay where they belong in Europe’s premier competition.
The draw couldn’t really have been tougher – AEK face the daunting task of playing Scottish champions Celtic, a club coveted in European history and famed for the intimidating atmosphere at their home stadium in Glasgow. The 1967 European Cup winners may not be such a formidable force on the pitch anymore, but the Bhoys play with a strong spirit and often win matches at Celtic Park purely thanks to their passionate fans.
However, in a major boost to AEK’s chances of progressing to a Champions League playoff tie against either Malmo or Vidi, the second leg will take place at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. Avoiding defeat and scoring at least one away goal in Scotland will put AEK in the box seat, while a win in Glasgow would go a long way towards practically finishing the tie as a contest.
Celtic began their Champions League journey in the first qualifying phase, thrashing Armenia’s Alashkert 6:0 before edging past a gritty Rosenborg side 3:1. At the weekend, Celtic won the maiden Scottish Premiership match of the season, beating Livingston 3:1 at home. AEK recently defeated Galatasaray 3:2 in a headline-friendly in the Greek capital, however the Enosis appeared shaky at set pieces and will have to tighten up at the back if they are to have any hope of achieving a positive result in this match.
TEAM NEWS: CELTIC
Home boss Brendan Rodgers cannot call upon the services of star French forward Moussa Dembele, and Kristoffer Ajer, Nir Bitton, and Lewis Morgan are also missing. On a more positive note for Celtic, Olivier Ntcham and Leigh Griffiths have been cleared to participate. Scottish international Craig Gordon will keep goal and inspirational captain Scott Brown will attempt to run the midfield.
Possible line-up: Gordon, Lustig, Simunovic, Hendry, Tierney, Brown, Ntcham, McGregor, Forrest, Sinclair, Edouard.
TEAM NEWS: AEK
Unfortunately for AEK manager Marinos Ouzounidis, captain Petros Mantalos didn’t make the trip to Scotland because of an injury sustained in training and he’s unlikely to play in the second leg too. Ukrainian defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy is still on the sidelines, but other than that, AEK do have a full-strength squad.
Possible line-up: Barkas, Galo, Lampropoulos, Oikonomou, Bakakis, Simoes, Galanopoulos, Moran, Bakasetas, Klonaridis, Livaja.
REFEREE: Luca Banti (ITA)
The man in the middle will be 44-year old Italian referee Luca Banti. His assistants are Alessandro Costanzo, Filippo Valeriani and Michael Fabri.
