AEK looks to the next stage

Athens club in driver’s seat ahead of Champions League clash with Anderlecht in Brussels

AEK, which went into this season’s Champions League without a single victory in 18 attempts, now stands a solid chance of making it through to the prestigious competition’s next round of play. The Athens club, which broke its winless record with back-to-back wins over Milan and Lille in the previous two rounds, goes into tonight’s concluding Group H game against Anderlecht knowing that it will reach the next stage by matching Lille’s result in Milan.

Irrespective of tonight’s results, Milan is already through with 10 points from five games. AEK is second with seven points, one ahead of third-placed Lille. Anderlecht lies bottom on three points but stands a chance for third place and a consolation berth in the UEFA Cup.

Should AEK defeat the Belgian champions tonight, it need not worry about the outcome of the Milan-Lille encounter. If AEK draws, it will hope that Lille does no better in Italy. In the event that AEK loses and Lille draws, the two would be tied on seven points apiece, but the French club would capture second place thanks to a better head-to-head record. If AEK loses and Lille wins, the Athens club will bid farewell to the Champions League.

As for Anderlecht, it needs to defeat its Greek rival tonight and hope that Lille loses in Italy. This combination would grant the Brussels team with third place and an UEFA Cup berth, while AEK would remain second and advance to the Champions League’s next stage.

“For us, everything began following the win against Lille. Getting our first win in the competition was very important for the club,” Argentinean defender Martin Pautasso told local sports press. “I don’t think that we’ll just rest on the laurels of this. Instead, we will be the players that will lead AEK to the Champions League’s next stage,” he added. Commenting on AEK’s current favorable position in Group H, Pautasso said tonight’s game needed to be approached humbly. “It will definitely be a tough game because Anderlecht also wants victory to reach the UEFA Cup,” Pautasso said, while stressing that the Greek team would not be distracted by the developments in the group’s other game in Italy.