UEFA Champions League
In the first match of the Champions League play-off round, Levski Sofia hosts AEK Athens on August 18, 2026 at 22:00 (UTC) at Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov. Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg will oversee the clash, which both teams will enter with the goal of reaching the group stage. Clear skies are expected in Sofia with temperatures around 26.78 degrees.
Completely opposite form
Levski Sofia has been undefeated in their last 6 Champions League matches and won 4 of the 5 matches played in this period; in four of their last five matches, they also scored the opening goal themselves. At home, Levski won three of their last five matches and also kept clean sheets in four of these matches. Marko Nikolić's side will take the pitch with the rhythm advantage of having played their last official match just 7 days ago, on August 11.
AEK Athens' record looks quite different. Julio Velázquez's team has lost 8 of their last 10 Champions League matches and has not won in 13 of their last 16 matches. The Greek side has only one victory in their last five away matches, while losing three times in the same period. Moreover, AEK's last appearance in this tournament was on August 30, 2023; in other words, the team is returning to the Champions League stage after exactly 1084 days.
Absences stretching the squad
Levski Sofia's injury list is extensive: Radoslav Kirilov (arthroscopy), Akram Bouras (muscle strain), Mustapha Sangaré (muscle injury), Stipe Vulikic (metatarsal fracture), Christian Makoun (muscle injury), Oliver Kamdem (knee surgery) and Maicon (muscle strain) will not be available. On AEK Athens' side, Milán Vitális and Zois Karargyris, who is recovering from a torn ACL, are among those who will not feature.
What the data suggests
Reinaldo stands out in Levski's attack; the player's average xG value over his last 10 Champions League matches is 0.44, with an average xGOT of 0.27. Svetoslav Vutsov, emerging as the team's most consistent performer, has an average match rating of 6.68 in this period. On AEK's side, Harold Moukoudi leads with an average rating of 7.39, positioning himself as the team's most in-form player, yet the team's attacking efficiency remains weak: they have managed just 0.67 goals per match in their last five away games. AEK has fallen below 3.5 total goals in 14 of their last 16 Champions League matches; this strengthens the likelihood of a cautious, low-scoring first half. Levski's home advantage, current form and their low conceding rate stand out as the data points favoring the Sofia side in the first leg of the play-off round.