Real Madrid will look to continue their perfect start to the UEFA Champions League when they visit AEK Athens of Greece tonight, in the fourth round of the league phase of the 2026-27 season.
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Real Madrid go into the match fourth in the standings with 9 points from three games, having won all three so far. AEK Athens sit 29th with just 3 points.
Under Portuguese coach José Mourinho, Real Madrid aim to secure their fourth consecutive win in the competition and strengthen their chances of qualifying directly for the round of 16. AEK Athens, coached by Serbian Marko Nikolić, hope to use home advantage and the support of their fans to halt a run of poor results.
AEK Athens opened their league-phase campaign well with a 1-0 win over Austria's LASK Linz. They failed to build on that result, however, losing two straight matches: 3-1 to Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk on October 14, and 5-1 to Manchester City on October 20.
The struggles have not been limited to Europe. AEK have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions, including their last two Greek Super League games against PAOK and Panathinaikos.
These results reflect the difficulties the team faces at both ends of the pitch, particularly after conceding eight goals in their last two European matches.
Nikolić hopes the match against Real Madrid will restore confidence, despite the difficulty of facing a side in such fine form.
Despite the big gap in resources and history between the two clubs, their head-to-head record offers some encouraging signs for the Greek side. AEK Athens and Real Madrid have met on four previous occasions, and AEK lost only one of those games.
Their first two meetings came in the first round of the 1985 UEFA Cup. AEK won the away leg 1-0, but Real Madrid responded emphatically in the return leg with a 5-0 win to secure their progress to the next round.
The two sides met again in the group stage of the 2002-03 Champions League. Both matches ended in draws, including a 3-3 draw in Athens.
As a result, Real Madrid have never won a competitive away match against AEK Athens.
The uncomfortable record is not limited to AEK. Real Madrid have won just one of their last eight European away matches against Greek clubs, drawing five.
That record may give the home side some confidence before facing one of the leading contenders for the European title.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, enter the match in excellent form and spirits, having won their last six games in all competitions. They lost 2-1 to their city rivals Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby before the last international break, but Mourinho's side responded strongly and rebuilt their momentum with a series of consecutive wins.
Real Madrid play today after beating Racing Santander 3-0 in La Liga, and their most recent Champions League appearance ended in a 4-1 win over Leipzig.
These results underline the attacking threat of the Spanish giants, who aim to keep up their European winning run and maintain their place among the top teams.
After 3 rounds, Real Madrid have collected maximum points, sitting fourth in the league-phase standings. After the AEK Athens match, they face four more games in the phase: against PSV Eindhoven, Arsenal, LASK Linz and Shakhtar Donetsk.
AEK Athens will be without goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, who is out with a hand injury. Portugal's João Mário and Greece's Lazaros Rota need medical assessments after recovering from illness.
Serbian striker Luka Jovetić is expected to lead the front line against his former club Real Madrid. The 28-year-old has been in good form this season, scoring seven goals in 15 matches in all competitions. The fixture carries special significance for him, as he once wore the Real Madrid shirt and will look to use his experience against the Spanish club's defence.
Hungary's Barnabás Varga is also expected to play up front. He has become AEK Athens' top scorer this season, with nine goals in 13 matches across all competitions, making him one of the team's biggest attacking threats.
Nikolić may rely on the Jovetić and Varga partnership to exploit any chances against the Real Madrid goal.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, are set to regain Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior for the European tie. He is currently banned from domestic competitions but is available for the Champions League, and is expected to return to the starting line-up on the left wing. His return is a significant boost to the attack, given his pace, dribbling and ability to create chances and stretch opposing defences.
Mourinho has also received a positive boost with the return to training of Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde, who has recovered from a hamstring injury. There is a strong chance Valverde will be in the travelling squad to Athens, although his place in the starting line-up has yet to be confirmed.
Real Madrid will be without Brazilian Rodrygo, who has a knee injury, and defender Raúl Asencio, who is out with a leg injury.
Mourinho may make some changes to his starting line-up, particularly in attack and midfield. Options include Jan Diomande on the right wing, with Turkey's Arda Güler moved back into midfield.
England's Jude Bellingham is expected to keep his place in the attacking third alongside Kylian Mbappé, one of the club's most important goalscorers. This selection would give Real Madrid considerable attacking variety, with players capable of moving between the lines and creating space for the Greek side's defence to deal with.
Mourinho will also aim to use his team's technical superiority to take control early and avoid a difficult contest in front of the home crowd.
Expected line-ups
AEK Athens: Brignoli, Rota, Mukoudi, Rilvas, Bello, Mayer, Ariaga, Marín, João Mário, Luka Jovetić, Barnabás Varga.
Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois, Denzel Dumfries, Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Jan Diomande, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappé.
