Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens — UEFA Champions League: stats, lineups & analysis
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- 57′AEK Athens, substitution:off
- 57′AEK Athens, substitution:off
- 67′Levski Sofia, substitution:off
- 79′Levski Sofia, substitution:off
- 79′Levski Sofia, substitution:off
- 81′AEK Athens, substitution:off
- 81′AEK Athens, substitution:off
- 88′Levski Sofia, substitution:off
- 89′Levski Sofia, substitution:off
- Full-time
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Levski Sofia
AEK Athens
Match report
Levski Sofia and AEK Athens play out goalless draw in Champions League play-off
Levski Sofia and AEK Athens FC could not find a breakthrough at National Stadium Vasil Levski, sharing the points in a goalless draw in the Champions League play-off round. Neither side managed to make the early running count, and the contest ended level after 90 minutes with no goals to separate the two clubs.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Levski shaded the possession count at 53 percent to 47 and also edged the shot count, registering 15 attempts to AEK's 12, with three on target compared with the visitors' one. Despite the territorial advantage, the home side could not turn pressure into a goal, while AEK's discipline was tested as the away side conceded 16 fouls against Levski's seven, yet still held firm defensively.
The result leaves both managers, Julio Velazquez and Marko Nikolic, with plenty to work through before the return leg, after a match shaped more by containment than clear-cut chances. Levski's Kristian Dimitrov was the top-rated player on the pitch, while Serginho for the home side and Koita for AEK also featured among the standout contributors on a night short of goals.
Dimitrov posted the highest rating of the match at 7.7 for Levski Sofia, though he did not register a goal or assist in the stalemate.
AEK Athens FC's 16 fouls, more than double Levski's seven, reflected a physical, disrupted contest in midfield.
Levski Sofia and AEK Athens drew 0–0 (half-time 0–0).
Levski Sofia met AEK Athens in the UEFA Champions League (Play-offs). Kick-off was Tuesday, 18 August 2026, 19:00 UTC at Georgi Asparuhov Stadium. Referee: Glenn Nyberg.
Team pages: Levski Sofia · AEK Athens · UEFA Champions League
Starting line-ups
Levski Sofia (4-2-3-1)
- 92 Svetoslav Vutsov
- 20 Álex Centelles
- 31 Nikola Serafimov
- 50 Kristian Dimitrov (c)
- 21 Aldair
- 3 Maicon
- 19 Mehdi Moubarik
- 17 Everton Bala
- 35 Serginho
- 11 Armstrong Oko-Flex
- 7 Reinaldo
AEK Athens (4-4-2)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Levski Sofia 30%, the draw 28%, AEK Athens 42%. It finished Levski Sofia 0–0 AEK Athens.
AEK Athens' rating edge outweighs Levski Sofia's home ground — AEK Athens are the stronger side on our strength rating, and their control of the ball on top gives AEK Athens the lean. The draw at 28% is about what a gap this size usually leaves.
Why AEK Athens at 42%?
AEK Athens FC sit 138 points higher on our strength rating — 1529 to 1668. Sides with a 100–200-point rating edge on the road won 40.1% of 13,056 such games. AEK Athens FC hold 5 more possession points (54 to 49 in recent games) across a 138-point rating gap. Control now carries a receipt beyond near-equals too: sides with this control edge at a 75–150-point rating gap won 42.6% of 8,596 such games where the class table expected 41.3%. The 300 most similar past games finished 34–28–38.
Why only 42%?
No scored evidence points the other way. 42% is what this rating gap has been worth in games like these; the rest is the draw at 28% and Levski Sofia at 30%.
Why the draw at 28%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 27.2%. These teams' recent games average 2.8 goals — a typical goals environment. Games in that environment drew 24.6% of 24,812. The control factor adds 1.2 points to the draw.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Levski Sofia vs AEK Athens final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this UEFA Champions League fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Levski Sofia 0–0 AEK Athens. Explore more on the Levski Sofia and AEK Athens team pages or the UEFA Champions League page.