AEK Athens have been handed a bad Champions League draw that could have yielded far more accessible opponents, club reporter Kostas Ketsetzoglou said on the Greek show The Football Show by Stoiximan on protothema.gr.
Speaking on Friday, one day after UEFA conducted the League Phase draw, Ketsetzoglou noted that the Greek side drew challenging fixtures from seeding pots that contained more manageable teams.
AEK Athens, commonly referred to as Enosi, are one of the traditional powerhouse clubs in Greek football. The club plays its home matches at its stadium in the Nea Filadelfia district of Athens.
Dortmund and Como fixtures
Ketsetzoglou highlighted German club Borussia Dortmund and Italian side Como as particularly difficult opponents drawn from their respective seeding groups. He explained that AEK could have drawn more accessible opponents from those specific pots of strength.
Borussia Dortmund compete in the German Bundesliga and are regular contenders in European knockout competitions. Como compete in the Italian Serie A and entered the draw from a lower seeding pot.
The reporter also pointed to Spanish giants Real Madrid, who will travel to Nea Filadelfia once again to face AEK in the League Phase.
Real Madrid are the most successful club in European football history with 15 Champions League titles. The arrival of the Spanish champions at Nea Filadelfia marks a high profile fixture for the Greek club and its home supporters.
Late January qualification
Regarding AEK's prospects of advancing to the next phase of the Champions League, Ketsetzoglou stated that qualification will be decided in the final matchdays of the League Phase in late January.
The Champions League League Phase features a single 36-team league table where clubs play fixtures throughout the autumn and winter. The final matchdays in late January determine which teams advance directly to the round of 16 and which enter the playoff rounds.
Ketsetzoglou delivered his analysis during the sports broadcast hosted on protothema.gr, a major news portal in Greece, in partnership with sports betting company Stoiximan.
