Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens Prediction - Champions League
Levski Sofia host AEK Athens on Tuesday 18 August 2026 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off round, with a place in the league phase on the line. Kick-off is at 20:00 BST. Neither club has met the other before in a competitive fixture, so this is a genuine first, not a renewal of anything.
- Fixture: Levski Sofia v AEK Athens
- Competition: UEFA Champions League, play-off round, first leg
- Date: Tuesday 18 August 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST
- Full details and team news: Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens match page
When is Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens?
Levski Sofia play AEK Athens on Tuesday 18 August 2026 at 20:00 BST in the first leg of their Champions League play-off round tie. The second leg follows the following week, with AEK Athens hosting the return fixture in Athens.
Team news
Levski Sofia go into the tie as reigning Bulgarian champions, having won their first Parva Liga title since 2009 last season. They have not lost a match in any competition this season, seeing off Universitatea Craiova and Kairat Almaty across two qualifying rounds to reach the play-off stage, and have also won all three of their opening Parva Liga fixtures.
AEK Athens arrive as reigning Greek champions after winning the 2025-26 Super League Greece title, which earned them this play-off berth without needing to come through Champions League qualifying. Their build-up has been mixed: wins over Sint-Truidense and Athens Kallithea in friendlies were followed by a 7-6 defeat to OFI Crete in the Greek Super Cup on 12 August.
Head-to-head record
There is no previous meeting between these two clubs in our archive. Tuesday's game is the first time Levski Sofia and AEK Athens have faced each other.
Recent form
Levski Sofia's last five matches across all competitions:
- 11 August: Kairat Almaty 0-1 Levski Sofia (Champions League)
- 7 August: Levski Sofia 2-0 Lokomotiv Plovdiv (Parva Liga)
- 4 August: Levski Sofia 1-0 Kairat Almaty (Champions League)
- 1 August: Levski Sofia 3-0 FK Septemvri Sofia (Parva Liga)
- 29 July: Universitatea Craiova 2-2 Levski Sofia (Champions League)
AEK Athens' last five matches across all competitions:
- 12 August: AEK Athens 6-7 OFI Crete (Greek Super Cup)
- 8 August: AEK Athens 4-0 Athens Kallithea FC (friendly)
- 2 August: AEK Athens 3-0 Sint-Truidense VV (friendly)
- 29 July: AEK Athens 1-2 Samsunspor (friendly)
- 26 July: PEC Zwolle 2-3 AEK Athens (friendly)
Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens prediction
Levski Sofia should edge the first leg of this Champions League play-off against AEK Athens on current form. Levski have won four of their last five matches and have not been beaten in any competition this season, including two rounds of European qualifying. AEK Athens, by contrast, have not played a competitive fixture since May and just lost the Greek Super Cup 7-6 to OFI Crete, which is not the form of a side ready to travel to Sofia and control a game.
Our prediction: Levski Sofia 2-1 AEK Athens
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