Real Madrid arrive at AEK Athens on Wednesday in step with their best run of the season, six straight wins that have kept them perfect in Europe and within three points of the top of La Liga. They have also been scoring freely, averaging 3.4 goals a game across their last five outings, and their most recent European result was a win over RB Leipzig.
That is why AEK Athens is being searched now. A side that has already won at home against LASK is suddenly the stage for a team carrying maximum momentum, while Real Madrid are one of only five teams left with a flawless Champions League record. The contrast matters because it is not just about form in the abstract; it is about whether a team on a hot streak can keep control in a match that could define its European start.
AEK Athens, though, are not being treated as a simple walkover at the ALLWYN Arena. They lost to Panathinaikos at the weekend and were beaten 5–1 by Manchester City in their previous European match, yet they are still described as a tougher proposition at home than those results suggest. That gap between the recent scorelines and the expectation around the venue is the reason the fixture has more bite than the numbers alone would imply.
Much of the uncertainty sits with Thomas Strakosha, who is a doubt because of a wrist injury. Marko Nikolić has a full roster available apart from the goalkeeper, while Alberto Brignoli arrives having conceded 13 goals in his last five games. For Real Madrid, the question is not whether they are in form. It is whether AEK Athens can make that form work harder than the standings, the results and the record suggest.
