Celtic vs AEK Athens Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Celtic opened up their league campaign with a victory at the weekend, but their summer focus will be firmly on the Champions League. Brendan Rodgers has inspired a consistency at Celtic Park in his two years at the club, and that’s been seen in their two runs to the group stage. They have made it all the way through the qualifying campaign from the first round in back to back seasons, and that’s what they’re out to do this week. AEK Athens are their opponents in this week’s big European tie, as the Bhoys aim to make their way through the third round of the qualifiers.

Rodgers has taken Celtic forward in Europe, guiding them to the group stage, and then a third place finish in the group last season. They are looking to prove themselves in Europe after taking a clear lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership, so this is basically the last place where they can be tested. The early rounds of the Champions League are usually tight contests, and it’s something which Rodgers seems to relish, as he looks to match up the Bhoys against fellow domestic champions.

AEK Athens reached the same stage as Celtic in Europe last season.  While the Greek side went out at this stage of the qualifiers last year, they did make it in to the Europa League last term, where they didn’t lose a game. They managed a lot of 0-0 draws as they reached the last 32 of that competition, going out at the hands of Dynamo Keiv. Meanwhile, Celtic lost out to Zenit in the first knockout round of that competition, after beating Anderlecht to third in their Champions League group.

The Bhoys are aiming to match their strong run in Europe in recent years, and they have made a strong start to the new season. A draw with Rosenborg took them through in the previous round, and they may need to dig in during the second leg of this clash. They’re aiming for a spot in the play-off round, where they’re likely to meet Malmo. After their recent qualifying form, we can see the Bhoys getting that far.

Celtic have won three of four qualifiers so far, while they ended up with four wins from six last term before the group stage. The Bhoys have shown their talents at working through the early stages in Europe, and we fancy them to see off an AEK side who have lost four straight Champions League matches. We think a Celtic win is the best value pick on this game, while we also see Odsonne Edouard adding to his three goals in three qualifiers, as he continues to impress after his permanent move from PSG.