AEK Athens vs LASK: Early Champions League Clash of Leaders

Two group leaders. One early marker to lay down in the Champions League.

AEK Athens host LASK on 8 September 2026, with kick-off set for 17:45, in a meeting of two sides arriving in ruthless form and with no intention of blinking first.

AEK purring under Nikolic

Marko Nikolic has a team that looks sharp, settled and ruthless. AEK have taken four wins and a draw from their last five in all competitions, hitting 16 goals and conceding just once. They are not just winning; they are steamrolling.

The 5-0 demolition of Aris Thessaloniki in the Super League underlined the mood in the camp. Before that, a 4-0 victory over Iraklis earlier in August showed the attack is humming from every angle. Three straight wins coming into this tie tell their own story: this is a side that expects to dictate the night.

Nikolic is expected to go strong again. Thomas Strakosha anchors things in goal, while the midfield has a clear spine and identity built around Razvan Marin, Lovro Majer and Kaan Kairinen. That trio gives AEK structure, passing range and bite.

Up front, Luka Jovic and Barnabas Varga are set to lead the line. It is a partnership built on contrast and threat: Jovic’s movement and finishing, Varga’s presence and penalty-box instincts. With no injuries or suspensions reported in the home camp, Nikolic has the luxury every coach craves – a full-strength squad and serious competition for places.

LASK arrive in fighting mood

LASK do not travel as underdogs making up the numbers. Their recent run reads almost as impressively as AEK’s: four wins from their last five, 15 goals scored and only five conceded.

The standout chapter in that sequence came in Europe. Beaten 3-0 by Celtic in the first leg of their Champions League qualification tie, they responded with a thumping 5-1 win in the second leg to flip the script completely. That kind of turnaround hardens belief. It also sends a message: this team does not fold.

Domestic form backs that up. A 3-0 win over Altach and a 1-3 away success at Wolfsberger AC in the Austrian Bundesliga underline their attacking edge and resilience on the road.

Dietmar Kühbauer is set to stick with a familiar core. Lukas Jungwirth is expected to start in goal, while Melayro Bogarde and Sascha Horvath provide legs and aggression in midfield. Moses Usor leads the attack, carrying the responsibility of unsettling an AEK defence that has barely been touched in recent weeks.

Like AEK, LASK report no injury or suspension concerns at this stage. Kühbauer, too, can pick without compromise.

A first meeting with weight

There is no head-to-head history to lean on here. No old scars, no revenge angles, no long-running subplot. This appears to be the first meeting between AEK Athens and LASK at this level, which only sharpens the intrigue.

Both clubs sit top of their Champions League group, underlining how much is at stake even at this stage. It is not just about three points; it is about control of the group, about momentum, about sending a signal to everyone else watching.

Two leaders, two free-scoring sides, no injury excuses and a clean slate between them – the only real question now is which of them dares to blink in a game that already feels bigger than its place on the calendar.