Jude Bellingham caps off a great play by scoring with a backheel. A brilliant assist from Marc Cucurella. Goal!, Goal for Real Madrid! The match is level in Athens.

Denzel Dumfries (Real Madrid) sends a pass into the penalty area, but it is blocked and fails to reach any of his teammates. In the ensuing play, Luka Jovic (AEK) receives a precise low pass inside the box, controls the ball, and fires a powerful shot toward the right post, but Thibaut Courtois intervenes and makes a great save.

There have been 12 or more shots on target in 3 of Real Madrid’s last 3 Champions League matches. Kylian Mbappé has scored in 3 of his last 3 Champions League appearances.

Álvaro Carreras has received a card in 2 of his last 3 Champions League appearances. There have been 29 or more total shots in 3 of Real Madrid’s last 3 Champions League matches.

AEK Athens and Real Madrid have faced each other four times throughout history, with a favorable balance for the Greek team, which has only lost one of those matches. Furthermore, AEK have never lost to the whites when they have played at home.

The two most recent antecedents correspond to the group stage of the 2002-03 Champions League and ended in a draw, with six goals between both games. In the 1985 UEFA Cup clashes, AEK won the first leg, while Real Madrid won the second leg.

Real Madrid has a favorable overall record against teams from Greece in European competitions, although playing on Greek soil has historically proven quite difficult for them (they have managed only 1 away win).

Overall record against Greek clubs.

• Matches played: 15.

• Real Madrid wins: 7.

• Draws: 6.

• Losses: 2.

• Goals scored: 37.

• Goals conceded: 20

AEK Athens FC heads into this match with inconsistent form. They have suffered four consecutive defeats away from home—two in the Champions League (a 5–1 loss to Manchester City and a 3–1 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk) and two in domestic competitions. Their most recent victory came on matchday 8 of the Greek Super League, and it was a commanding one, featuring a resounding 5–0 win over Panetolikos.

In the Champions League, the Greek side has proven very strong at their home ground, the OPAP Arena. They have won both of their home matches—one during the qualifying phase and another in the league phase—scoring five goals while conceding none. This defensive solidity stands in stark contrast to their vulnerability against stronger opponents, against whom they have conceded eight goals without managing a single win.

AEK Athens starts with Brignoli; Rota, Moukoudi, Filipe Relvas, Pilios; Koita, Kairinen, Arriaga, Majer; Gacinovic and Luka Jovic.

On the bench of the Greek team will be Strakosha, Balamotis, Zubkov, Marin, Varga, Mantalos, Vida, Lykogiannis, Vitalis and Zini.

Real Madrid with Courtois; Dumfries, Militao, Rüdiger, Cucurella; Bernardo Silva, Camavinga; Diomande, Bellingham, Vinícius; and Mbappé.

Lunin, Mestre, Huijsen, Fede Valverde, Endrick, Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Carreras, Carlos Espí, Brahim Díaz, Thiago Pitarch and Sergio Martínez will start on the bench of the Madrid team.

Here are the official kick-off times, TV channels and live stream options to watch AEK vs Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League 2026-27 across major English-speaking regions:

• USA: 12:45 PM EST / 9:45 AM PST - TV & Live Stream on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network.
• UK & Ireland: 5:45 PM GMT - Watch live on TNT Sports, Discovery+, RTÉ / Premier Sports (Ireland).
• South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda): 7:45 PM SAST (6:45 PM WAT in Nigeria / 8:45 PM EAT in Kenya & Uganda) - Broadcast on SuperSport GrandStand / Premier League / Variety, DStv Stream.
• Canada: 12:45 PM EST / 9:45 AM PST - Live streaming on DAZN Canada.
• Australia & New Zealand: 4:45 AM AEDT (6:45 AM NZDT in New Zealand) - Watch live on Stan Sport (Australia), DAZN (New Zealand).
• UAE & MENA (Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar): 9:45 PM GST (8:45 PM AST in Saudi Arabia & Qatar) - Broadcast on beIN Sports English, TOD.
• India, Malaysia & Singapore: 11:15 PM IST (1:45 AM MYT/SGT in Malaysia & Singapore) - Watch on Sony Sports Ten, Sony LIV (India), beIN Sports Connect (Malaysia/Singapore).

For real-time AEK vs Real Madrid live score updates, confirmed starting lineups, match stats and minute-by-minute commentary, follow VAVEL right here.

AEK Athens will be without Thomas Strakosha (hand issue), while the availability of Joao Mario and Lazaros Rota - both dealing with health issues - remains to be assessed ahead of the match. Former Real Madrid forward Luka Jovic is expected to lead the attack for the home side; the 28-year-old is in excellent form this season, having scored seven goals in 15 appearances.

Barnabas Varga is also expected to feature in the center of the attack; he is the Greek side’s top scorer this season, with nine goals in 13 matches across all competitions.

As for Real Madrid, Vinícius Júnior is available; the Brazilian - who is currently serving a suspension in domestic competitions - is expected to feature in the starting eleven on the left flank.

Federico Valverde has returned to training after recovering from a hamstring issue, and it is highly likely that the Uruguayan international will be included in the squad for this match.

Conversely, Rodrygo (knee) and Raúl Asencio (leg) are confirmed to be sidelined for the game.

Yan Diomande could start on the right flank, while Arda Güler might drop back into the midfield; meanwhile, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé will operate in the final third.

Hello to all VAVEL readers Welcome to the broadcast of the match AEK vs Real Madrid on 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. The match takes place at Allwyn Arena in Athens, Greece.

My name is Juan Sebastián Rodríguez and I will be your host for this match. We bring you pre-match analysis, score updates and live news here on VAVEL. Follow our live coverage for confirmed starting lineups, real-time score updates, match stats, standings and highlights.