UEL: AEK Athens vs Brighton Preview & Odds
Brighton Advance With Win
Seagulls Seeking Revenge
Brighton’s maiden European campaign has gotten off to a decent start. The Seagulls are a win away from advancing to the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League. On Thursday, they head to Greece seeking revenge on AEK Athens. AEK defeated Brighton 3-2 in the reverse fixture and the Greek side need a result to stay alive. We’ll cover the latest UEL odds for this Group B match in our AEK Athens vs Brighton preview.
⚽ AEK Athens vs Brighton ⚽
Day/Time:
Location: Agia Sofia Stadium, Nea Filadelfia, Greece
Head-to-Head
September’s match between Brighton and AEK Athens was the first-ever opportunity for soccer betting on this fixture. AEK took the lead through Djibril Sidibé in the 11th minute and Brighton equalized on a Joao Pedro penalty. Visitors AEK took the lead before halftime and Pedro once again equalized on a penalty in the 67th minute. In the 84th minute, Ezequiel Ponce grabbed the winner for AEK Athens.
AEK Athens Need Result
AEK Athens won 1-0 at Giannina on Sunday in the Greek Super League. It extended their unbeaten run to six matches in the competition. Steven Zuber scored his fourth goal of the UEL season, just seven minutes in, to hand AEK the win. Our AEK Athens vs Brighton preview notes that the Yellow-Blacks are winless in their last three Europa League games.
Their last two UEL scores have been losses to Marseille, both home and away. Three weeks ago, AEK hosted Marseille and drew a blank as they fell 2-0. Chancel Mbemba and Ismaila Sarr were on the scoresheet for Marseille. AEK looked particularly vulnerable on set plays and Mbemba’s goal came on a header.
On Matchday 3, a ten-man AEK Athens fell 3-1 to Marseille. AEK could only manage a draw on Matchday 2 when Ajax came to town. So, AEK Athens are in danger of finishing their group stage campaign without a home victory. They defeated Brighton 3-2 on the road to open up their Europa League campaign but haven’t found much success since.
Shorthanded Brighton Face Tough Test
Roberto De Zerbi’s squad will be incredibly thin on Thursday when Brighton head to Greece to take on AEK Athens. Brighton were without Pervis Estupiñan, Danny Welbeck, Solly March, Julio Enciso, Adam Webster, Kaoru Mitoma, Igor Julio, James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud on Saturday when they went to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest. Even with all those UEL players out, Brighton managed to pull off a 3-2 win.
In the process, skipper Lewis Dunk picked up a red card and Ansu Fati and Tariq Lamptey departed with injuries. Dunk and Dahoud will be available for Thursday’s match but Brighton will be incredibly shorthanded on Thursday. They’re second in the Group B UEFA Europa League standings right now and a win would be massive for them.
With three points, the Seagulls will qualify for their first-ever European knockout stage. Their maiden UEFA campaign has had its ups and downs but Fati and Joao Pedro have been bright spots. Pedro is tied for the UEL lead, with four goals, and also scored twice vs Forest. Meanwhile, Fati has scored twice and provided an assist. On Thursday, Brighton are going for their third straight Europa League win as they completed the double over Ajax.
Match Analysis & Odds
Despite all of their absences, Brighton are -105 moneyline favorites for this match at AEK Athens. Those wanting to bet on the Seagulls are best served taking the moneyline, as Brighton -0.5 currently shows -110 odds. Meanwhile, AEK -0.5 sits at -120 and the hosts are +250 underdogs. While AEK Athens are unbeaten at home in the Greek Super League, they’ve proven to be vulnerable in the Europa League.
Our AEK Athens vs Brighton preview notes that AEK Athens haven’t won any of their last 13 Europa League group stage home matches. Even if Fati and Mitoma are out for Brighton, Pedro and Evan Ferguson are two formidable attacking players. Ferguson’s height figures to be a problem for the AEK Athens defense.
Bettors can take a draw at +300 odds and a pair of Brighton draws will be enough for the Seagulls to advance. However, they’ll want to win the group over Marseille to earn a bye to the round of 16. So, expect Brighton to go all out for a win here. Goals are expected in this one, as over 2.5, 3 goals sit at -120.
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