AEK Larnaca host Slovenian side Celje in the 25/26 Europa League second round qualifiers. The first leg ended 1-1 in Celje with both sides scoring from the spot. While AEK’s penalty was converted by their CB Hrvoje Milicevic, for NK Celje it was their Croatian talisman Kovacevic who joined this summer window from the K-League. He has now scored in all 3 of their Europa league matches, scoring 4 in 3 matches.
Team News
AEK are still missing Girorgos Naoum who is out with a muscle injury. Celje will miss their Lithuanian star Armandas Kucys who is set to miss out till December due to a tear to his ACL. Teams are expected to be relatively same barring any tactical tweaks made by the coaches.
Head-to-Head
The current head to head record for the teams is – 1 draw between the two as the only time they faced each other was last Thursday.
Where the game will be decided
Both coaches will hope to avoid a repeat of last week with regards to discipline inside the six-yard box. Imanol Idiakez will have to be especially careful given his men committed 21 fouls in the first leg. Any sort of defensive error or a lapse in concentration could see the tie swing.
Prediction
Both teams have played European football before and will be wishing to continue that and progress to the next round. AEK have only won 1 out of their last 5 matches whereas Celje have not lost in their last 5. The momentum is on the Slovenians side.
AEK Larnaca 1-2 NK Celje
Kick-Off Time
The action starts on Thu, Jul 31, 2025, 16:30 GMT at the AEK Arena.
