AEK Athens – Rayo Vallecano : Greek cauldron dreams of a European miracle 
Thursday night in Athens should be red-hot. AEK Athens host Rayo Vallecano in a second leg that looks a lot like mission impossible. The Greeks need three goals just to drag themselves back into it after completely blowing the first leg. For AEK, it’s about turning the thing on its head. For Rayo Vallecano, it’s about calmly booking a first-ever place in a European semi-final.
AEK Athens still believe in the miracle 
Let’s not dress it up: AEK Athens took a proper battering in the first leg in Madrid. But they haven’t thrown in the towel, especially with their fans behind them. They’ve had a full week to work on the plan and they’ll fancy turning their stadium into a nightmare for the Spaniards. To avoid serving up another flat, joyless performance, AEK need to come out flying from the first whistle.
The job is simple enough for the AEK players: score early, rattle the opposition, make them sweat. They’ve pulled off mad comebacks before in Europe and they’ll be leaning on that old warrior spirit again. But they can’t get carried away. One counterattack and the whole thing could unravel. AEK are going all in on Thursday in front of their own crowd.
Rayo Vallecano want to finish the job 
Rayo Vallecano arrive in Greece sitting on a very healthy cushion. After that 3-0 win in the first leg, they already have one foot in the semi-finals. Even so, they’re coming off a nasty league defeat to Mallorca, a reminder that nothing’s done until it’s done. Inigo Perez knows Rayo have to stay sharp or they’ll blow a golden chance to make a noise in Europe.
Back in Spain, Rayo are still flirting with the drop, but on the continent they look like a different side entirely. They’ll probably have to absorb some heavy pressure early on as the Greek crowd tries to drag AEK over the line. But with pace in the side, Rayo have the tools to land a clean counterpunch. They won’t want to get dragged into a scrap and will be aiming to manage the lead with a bit of brains and see it through to the next round.
Expected line-ups
AEK Athens : Strakosha ; Rota, Moukoudi, Relvas ; Pilios ; Koita, Pineda, Marin, Pereyra ; Gacinovic ; Varga
Rayo Vallecano : Batalla ; Ratiu, Lejeune, Felipe, Chavarria ; Lopez, Ciss ; Akhomach, Palazon, Garcia ; De Frutos
Football tip AEK Athens vs Rayo Vallecano
AEK Athens win
This second leg should be one-way traffic for long spells. AEK have no choice now and will throw everything at it from the opening minutes to get the place rocking. The Greeks should win on home turf, because they’re usually a nightmare to play against in Europe. That said, pulling back a three-goal deficit against a Rayo side that can hurt teams on the break is a monster ask. We’re backing a statement win for AEK, even if the tie itself could still stay in Spanish hands.
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