Champions League
2026-08-26 - AEK Athens vs Levski Sofia
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Champions League Play Off Round Second Leg
Wednesday 26th August 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
AEK Athens
Three seasons ago, AEK Athens found the Champions League Play Off Round a little too tough to handle, but the goalless draw in Bulgaria in the First Leg of this tie has given them the edge. It has been eight years since they last played in the Champions League Group Stage, but AEK Athens will have taken confidence from the run to the Conference League Quarter Final in the 2025/26 season and that would have given them plenty of belief ahead of this campaign.
They are one of four clubs who joined the Champions League in the Play Off Round and that does mean AEK Athens are guaranteed a spot in the Europa League Group Stage at the very least. The last couple of seasons has seen AEK Athens battling it out in the Conference League, but the home record of a single defeat in 10 European ties played with 8 of those ending in wins has to be respected.
AEK Athens lost the Greek Super Cup on Penalties days before the goalless draw in the Bulgarian capital, but they have opened the defence of the Greek title with a comfortable 4-1 win over Iraklis 1908 this past weekend. This victory does mean AEK Athens have won 5 of the last 6 home games in all competitions going back to the conclusion of the last campaign.
Levski Sofia
For the majority of the last fifteen years, the Bulgarian representative in the Champions League would have been well known to those who place wagers in the Qualifying Rounds of this competition. Ludogorets had won the title fourteen years in a row, but Levski Sofia broke the dominance to pick up the trophy for the first time since 2009 and they have guaranteed a place in a Group Stage of any European competition for the first time since 2010/11.
Three Qualifiers have already been negotiated as Levski Sofia have got the better of Borac Banja, Universitatea Craiova and Kairat Almaty and that means they are guaranteed a spot in the Europa League. In each of the last two Rounds, Levski Sofia won the First Leg 1-0 at home, but this time they travel after a goalless draw. The side have lost 1 of the last 5 away European ties and that should give Levski Sofia belief that they can do enough to upset the odds one more time.
Levski Sofia smashed Spartak Varna 6-0 at home this past weekend to warm up for this Second Leg in the perfect manner and they are now unbeaten in 15 games in all competitions since losing 0-1 at home to Ludogorets last season. The former Bulgarian Champions are also the last team to beat Levski Sofia away from home, but the latter are unbeaten in 10 on their travels in all competitions since then.
Head to Head
This is the first competitive fixture between the clubs hosted by AEK Athens.
Prediction
There was very little between the two in the First Leg as both AEK Athens and Levski Sofia were guilty of wasteful finishing.
However, it is AEK Athens who will feel they were in the most promising positions and being back at home in the Second Leg should be a strong advantage.
Last season they showed how good they can be at home in the Conference League and Levski Sofia are a club that have struggled to get through the Qualifiers at that level previously.
Obviously becoming Bulgarian Champions and snapping Ludogorets' dominance will have given them confidence and Levski Sofia should be credited massively for coming through three Qualifying Rounds in the Champions League.
Winning at home in the First Leg has been key in the last two Rounds, but this time there is no advantage and this is easily the toughest challenge Levski Sofia will have faced over the last six weeks.
Levski Sofia have shown toughness and being hard to beat away from home, but that may not be enough against an AEK Athens side that have a very good record in front of their own fans. The Greek Champions can show better composure than they did in the Bulgarian capital and that can lead to a good victory and a place alongside the elite of European Football in the League Phase of the Champions League.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
AEK Athens 2-1 Levski Sofia
