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A place in the UEFA Champions League will be at stake when Levski Sofia and AEK Athens draw swords in the first leg of their play-off tie at Georgi Asparuhov Stadium on Tuesday.
The hosts have strung together four wins in a row and will look to reach Europe's biggest club football competition for the first time in two decades.
AEK Athens, meanwhile, are eyeing their first competitive win of the season.
Read our Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens prediction, preview and betting tips below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens key stats
- Levski Sofia are unbeaten in their last 11 matches.
- AEK Athens have no wins in their last three competitive away games.
- Levski Sofia's last three fixtures have gone below the 2.5-goal threshold.
Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens preview: First encounter
Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens — Tale of the Tape
| Levski Sofia | vs | AEK Athens |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd (Bulgarian Parva Liga) | Position | N/A (Greek Super League) |
| 12 | Points | N/A |
| 9 | Goals For | N/A |
| 2 | Goals Against | N/A |
| 2 | Clean Sheets | N/A |
| 1st | Home / Away Rank | N/A |
Levski Sofia have had an impressive UEFA Champions League campaign, eliminating Borac Banja Luka, Universitatea Craiova, and Kairat Almaty in the previous three rounds without losing a single game.
Georgi Asparuhov Stadium has been a fortress for the hosts, as they won all their qualifying games at this stadium without conceding.
Interestingly, Levski’s unbeaten run extends beyond this competition. The Bulgarian champions have won four in a row and have not lost in 11 consecutive fixtures.
The hosts have not qualified for the UEFA Champions League since the 2006/07 season, and their last appearance in the group stage of a European club competition came during the 2010/11 Europa League campaign.
Nonetheless, the loser of this tie will advance to the league phase of the Europa League, so Levski Sofia are guaranteed a place in Europe for the first time in 16 seasons.
Head coach Julio Velazquez has no injury concerns ahead of this encounter and is expected to name a similar starting XI to the one that defeated Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan last Tuesday.
Unlike their opponents, AEK Athens did not go through any of the first three qualifying rounds due to the Greek Super League's better placement in the UEFA rankings than the Bulgarian Parva Liga.
Although the visitors have not qualified for the Champions League main stage since the 2018/19 season, they have played in other UEFA club competitions during that stretch, with their most recent outing ending in the quarter-finals of the Conference League last season.
Coach Marko Nikolic cannot call upon the services of Mijat Gacinovic, as the midfielder is sidelined due to a meniscus injury.
The Yellow-Blacks played their first competitive game of the season last week, losing the Greek Super Cup to OFI Crete after a penalty shootout.
While these teams will meet for the first time on Tuesday, it is worth mentioning that AEK Athens have never lost to a Bulgarian side (W1, D1), while Levski Sofia have a 3-1-2 win-draw-loss record in six previous skirmishes with Greek opponents.
Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens form guide & betting tips
| Levski Sofia | vs | AEK Athens |
|---|---|---|
W
W
D
W
W
|
Champions League Form | N/A |
| 9 | Goals For | 13 |
| 2 | Goals Against | 6 |
D
W
W
W
W
|
Form (All Comps) |
W
L
W
W
L
|
Whispers Predicts: Levski Sofia 1-0 AEK Athens
At 6/4 (2.50), AEK Athens are considered favourites by the bookmakers.
However, Levski Sofia have won seven consecutive home games across all competitions, keeping six clean sheets during that stretch, so we fancy the hosts winning at 2/1 (3.00).
Furthermore, Levski Sofia to win-to-nil landed in the Bulgarian side’s last four outings, and this can be backed at 4/1 (5.00).
A 1-0 correct score is priced at 29/4 (8.25) and this was the outcome in two of Levski Sofia's last three fixtures.
> Under 2.5 total goals at 7/10 (1.70) | Likelihood: Probable
> BTTS – No at 9/10 (1.90) | Likelihood: Probable
> Match result: Levski Sofia at 2/1 (3.00) | Likelihood: Possible
> Levski Sofia & BTTS – No at 4/1 (5.00) | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct Score: 1-0 at 29/4 (8.25) | Likelihood: Outsider