Champions League Preview: AEK Athens vs Real Madrid on Nov. 4 After Real's Clasico Loss

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, Athens hosts matchday four of the Champions League league phase: AEK Athens welcome Real Madrid. Kickoff is at 20:45 Moscow time. For Real it is the first away game since the October Clasico: on Oct. 25 they lost 2-1 to Barcelona, and in Greece they are expected to deliver not a pretty win but a necessary one.

What we know about form. According to sport.ua, on Oct. 21 Real routed RB Leipzig 4-1 in the Champions League — so Europe is going better for Madrid than La Liga so far. At home in the Greek league, AEK beat Aris 5-0; in August, in qualifying, the Greeks beat Levski 4-0. It sounds upbeat, but remember: those were opponents of a different weight, and Athens against Real is an exam of an entirely different kind.

How to watch it? If the visitors score early, the noisy stadium will quickly go quiet. If not, AEK know how to live on the counterattack, and it will be Madrid who get nervous. A search did not confirm the league-phase table or the announced lineups, so I won't judge the standings — check uefa.com. My forecast is simple: Real should win, but they won't have a quiet evening. This is an opinion, not a guarantee.