AEK Athens vs Celtic Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Celtic have a mountain to climb as they head to Greece, with huge pressure on them to qualify for the next round of the Champions League. The Scottish champions tend to relish this stage of the season, as they get to pit themselves against some fellow champions from around the continent. It’s been a successful couple of seasons for Brendan Rodgers to date, as he’s proven his tactical skills in meetings with sides all around Europe. However, his team took their eye off the ball in the first leg last week, drawing 1-1 in Glasgow. Can they repair the damage from that slip up?

This season kicked off early for Celtic yet again, but they had a promising start. The Bhoys raced through the early Champions League rounds, but something has happened in the last week or so. Their draw with AEK in the first leg was followed by a loss at Hearts at the weekend, hardly the ideal way for the champions to get this campaign underway. They are looking a little sloppy, and that’s something which the visitors need to shake going into this trip over to Greece.

AEK Athens have yet to kick off their domestic campaign, and they come it to this clash on the back of a single competitive game this term. They managed to get through that first match with a draw, and they fought hard against the Scottish outfit. To make matters worse for the Greeks, they had 10 men for over a third of the game, so their impressive defensive shift late on has to be respected.

However, Celtic are likely to come out firing here. While this is being built up as a low scoring game, the pair are each searching for a goal to swing the game. AEK will want to take complete control at home, while the Bhoys have a habit of getting results on the road in matches like this. Doing it in Greece with a spot in the Champions League play-offs up for grabs would be really impressive from Rodgers and his men, but they’ve produced on the road before.

Celtic kicked off their qualifiers this season with three goals on the road at Alashkert. They also hit nine goals across their first four Champions League trips last term, so the Bhoys have impressive scoring pedigree in Europe. Their only issue is that defensively they can be beaten, as AEK found out a week ago. We can see the visitors getting ahead in this tie again, before being pulled back by AEK once more. We’re backing both teams to score here, with AEK conceding in six straight Champions League matches. We’re also going with a 1-1 draw, which would force extra time.