Manchester City host AEK Athens at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, looking to avoid back-to-back Champions League home defeats for the first time since 2018.
City had won their first eight matches under Enzo Maresca before losing 4-2 at home to Paris Saint-Germain last Wednesday. They bounced back with a 3-2 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday to stay top of the Premier League with seven wins from seven. City and AEK are level on three points in the league phase, after City won 2-0 at Porto and AEK beat LASK 1-0 before losing 3-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk last week.
This is the first meeting between the clubs in the Champions League and AEK’s first visit to the Etihad. The Greek champions have never won an away match in the competition proper (five draws, 11 defeats) and have lost seven of their last eight Champions League matches against English clubs. City, by contrast, are unbeaten in four Champions League matches against Greek sides, winning three and drawing one without conceding.
Manchester City vs AEK Athens – Match preview and team news
- Date: Tuesday, 20 October 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST
- Venue: Etihad Stadium
- Referee:
- Last meeting: None (first meeting in the Champions League)
Team news
Manchester City
Antoine Semenyo is out for around eight weeks with a knee injury, with Maresca saying the scan was better than first feared and that he expects him back around December. Erling Haaland, who limped off after the win over Ipswich, can be available according to Maresca, though he is expected to be rested. Nico O’Reilly (back), Mateo Kovacic (knock) and Matheus Nunes (muscle) were all withdrawn against Ipswich, but Maresca said the rest are “more or less okay”. Phil Foden could lead the line if Haaland sits out.
AEK Athens
No injury or suspension concerns have been reported, and AEK had a week to prepare after having no domestic game at the weekend. Luka Jović and Barnabás Varga lead the attack, with four league goals each, though neither has scored in the league phase of the Champions League.
Form
Manchester City
City won eight from eight to start the season before the defeat to PSG, having lost only one of their previous 25 home matches in the Champions League group stage or league phase. Haaland scored twice against Ipswich on Saturday, extending his scoring run to eight successive games. Maresca’s side have scored 19 goals in seven Premier League matches but have conceded seven, three of them against Ipswich.
AEK Athens
AEK had avoided defeat inside 90 minutes all season before losing 3-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk at Stamford Bridge, where the Ukrainian side play their home European matches this term. They are second in the Greek Super League after six matches, having won their last three league games including a 3-0 win over OFI Crete. Marko Nikolić’s side reached the league phase by beating Levski Sofia 4-0 in the play-off round second leg, in their first Champions League campaign since 2018-19.
Predicted lineups
Manchester City predicted XI: Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Bouaddi, Anderson; Cherki, Fernandez, Ndiaye; Foden
AEK Athens predicted XI: Brignoli; Rota, Moukoudi, Relvas, Pilo; Majer, Kairinen, Marin, Vitalis; Varga, Jović
How to watch Manchester City vs AEK Athens?
The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.
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