# AEK Athens prepares for Champions League Play-Offs > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/aek-athens-champions-league-preparation > Updated: 2026-08-14T11:39:57.000Z. Sources: 22. Developments: 7. AEK Athens concluded its pre-season preparations with a final friendly against Athens Kallithea on 8 August at the Allwyn Arena. Coach Marco Nikolic utilized the match to experiment with his lineup, featuring youngsters Christos Alexiou and Dimitris Kaloskamis alongside new signing Milan Vitallis. The club’s pursuit of the Superbet Super Cup ended in defeat against OFI. The final, held at the Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion, was decided by a penalty shootout. Following the match, Nikolic congratulated OFI on their performance, noting that the intense atmosphere served as necessary preparation despite the disappointment of losing the season’s first official trophy. In preparation for the Champions League Play-Offs against Levski Sofia, AEK has submitted its European squad list to UEFA. Head coach Marko Nikolic has included several new summer signings, such as Kaan Kairinen, Lovro Mayer, and Oleksandr Zubkov, to bolster the midfield and attack. However, certain players are absent from the list: Milan Vitalis is ineligible due to previous appearances in European qualifiers for Gyor ETO, and Christos Alexiou was not included. Additionally, Niklas Eliasson and James Penraice are expected to depart the club following pending transfers. The two-legged tie consists of an away match in Bulgaria on 18 August and a home fixture at the Allwyn Arena on 26 August. For the home match, ticket sales have commenced, with season ticket holders receiving priority access and a 25% discount until 14:00 on 17 August. General sales for the remaining seats are scheduled to begin on 18 August at 12:00. Beyond European competition, the club’s schedule includes the Stoiximan Super League opener against Iraklis, scheduled for 22–23 August. ## Claims - Dinamo Zagreb defeated FC Basel 3-2 after extra time in the Champions League second qualifying round. (corroborated by 3 sources) - Dinamo Zagreb had been trailing 0-2 before coming back to win 3-2. (corroborated by 2 sources) - AEK Athens remains on the seeded side of the Champions League playoff draw because Dinamo Zagreb survived. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Red Star Belgrade defeated Larn 4‑0 in the first leg of the Champions League qualifiers. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Lech Poznan beat Aarhus 4‑1 in the first leg of the Champions League qualifiers. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Slovan Bratislava defeated Imberia 2‑0 in the first leg of the Champions League qualifiers. (corroborated by 2 sources) - The Champions League playoff draw is scheduled for 3 August 2026 at 13:00 in Nyon, Switzerland. (single source) - The playoff matches will be played on 18‑19 August and 25‑26 August, with the league‑phase draw on 27 August in Monaco. (single source) ## Timeline ### 2026-08-14: AEK Athens announces squad for Champions League playoffs AEK Athens has announced its squad for the Champions League playoffs against Levski Sofia. The two-legged tie begins August 18, with Levski holding a perceived advantage in match fitness. 10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/aek-fc-submits-squad-list-and-begins-ticket-sales-for-champions-league-play-offs ### 2026-08-11: AEK coach Marko Nikolic reacts to Super Cup loss and upcoming playoffs AEK coach Marko Nikolic commented on the team's Super Cup loss to OFI on penalties and shifted focus to the upcoming Champions League playoffs against Levski Sofia. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/aek-coach-marko-nikolic-reacts-to-super-cup-loss-and-upcoming-playoffs ### 2026-08-06: AEK faces Athens Kallithea in final pre‑season friendly Athens Kallithea beat Greece of Syros 2‑0 before meeting AEK Athens in a friendly on 8 Aug, where AEK will test line‑up ahead of the Super Cup and Champions League play‑offs. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/aek-faces-athens-kallithea-in-final-preseason-friendly ### 2026-07-29: Samsunspor defeats AEK Athens 2-1 in Netherlands pre‑season friendly Samsunspor beat AEK Athens 2-1 in a Netherlands pre‑season friendly, with goals from Elayis Tavşan and Saikouba Jarju under coach Thorsten Fink; the match was streamed on YouTube without spectators. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsunspor-beats-aek-athens-2-1-in-netherlands-preseason-friendly ### 2026-07-23: AEK Athens prepares for Champions League with Dutch pre‑season amid squad gaps AEK trained in the Netherlands until 2 August, scheduled friendlies, and is addressing squad gaps ahead of a packed August featuring the Super Cup, Champions League play‑offs and league opener. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/aek-athens-prepares-for-champions-league-with-dutch-preseason-amid-squad-gaps ### 2026-07-21: AEK Athens pursues Bilal Nadir signing and seeks seeded spot in Champions League playoffs AEK Athens is close to signing free‑agent Bilal Nadir, has loaned midfielder Robert Liubič to LASK, and holds a 35 % chance of a seeded spot in the Champions League playoff draw. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/aek-athens-pursues-bilal-nadir-signing-and-seeks-seeded-spot-in-champions-league-playoffs ### 2026-07-05: AEK heads to the Netherlands for pre‑season camp and Champions League playoff preparations AEK departs for a 29‑player pre‑season camp in the Netherlands (6 July–2 August), plays six friendlies, and eyes an 80 % chance of a strong Champions League playoff draw on 3 August. 7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/aek-announces-29-player-squad-for-preseason-camp-in-the-netherlands --- Cite as: AEK Athens prepares for Champions League Play-Offs. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/aek-athens-champions-league-preparation