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Man City vs AEK: Maresca's Perfect Start Meets the Greek Champions

DAMITV Sports Desk · 14 October 2026 · 3 min read
Man City vs AEK Champions League 2026 match poster
UEFA Champions League · Round 3
Manchester CityManchester City
VS
AEK AthensAEK Athens
your local time
Etihad Stadium
Watch it free on DAMITV

On paper, Man City vs AEK is one of the more one-sided games of Matchday 3. The Premier League leaders host the Greek champions at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday 20 October, in the first competitive meeting between the two clubs. Kick-off is 20:00 BST, 22:00 in Athens and 3:00pm ET.

Both won on the opening night. City beat Porto 2-0 away and AEK edged LASK 1-0 at home. Before they meet, each has a Matchday 2 game on Wednesday 14 October: City host Paris Saint-Germain, and AEK play Shakhtar Donetsk.

Maresca hasn't dropped a league point

Enzo Maresca replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer, and City have won all six Premier League games since. They're top on 18 points, with 16 scored and five conceded.

Sunday's 3-0 win at Anfield was very much the new City. They waited, and once Ryan Gravenberch was sent off, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki scored within 13 minutes.

Porto was scrappier, with the same outcome. Haaland headed in Enzo Fernandez's cross just after half-time and added a second in stoppage time from Rayan Ait-Nouri's cutback. Maresca has said the PSG game needs "the perfect game", and however much that takes out of his players will shape the side he picks six days later.

The squad is in good shape. Doku is back from a calf problem and scored off the bench at Anfield. Haaland started and scored on Sunday after being taken off while on international duty with Norway. Phil Foden has been serving a three-match domestic ban, which doesn't apply in Europe, so he's available.

Last five results
Manchester CityManchester City
WAEK Athens5-1UEFA Champions League
WIpswich Town3-2Premier League
LParis Saint-Germain2-4UEFA Champions League
W@ Liverpool3-0Premier League
WSunderland5-3Premier League
AEK AthensAEK Athens
L@ Manchester City1-5UEFA Champions League
@ AtromitosGreek Super League 1
L@ Shakhtar Donetsk1-3UEFA Champions League
WOFI3-0Greek Super League 1
W@ Volos2-1Greek Super League 1

What AEK bring to Manchester

AEK won the Greek Super League in 2025/26, beat Levski Sofia 4-0 on aggregate in the play-off round, and are near the top of the Greek table again this season.

Marko Nikolic's side got past LASK thanks to Razvan Marin, who curled in a free-kick from around 20 yards in the 21st minute. Luka Jovic also had a goal ruled out for offside after a VAR check. They looked organised, comfortable without the ball and dangerous from dead balls, and I'd expect the same plan at the Etihad: stay compact, make City work for every opening, and hope Marin's delivery or a counter produces a chance. Barnabas Varga was reported injured before the Shakhtar game.

Man City vs AEK: how many goals?

City should win this, and probably comfortably. They're perfect in the league, Haaland is scoring, and AEK will spend long spells defending. Keeping City out for 90 minutes is a much bigger job than edging past LASK. The one thing that could slow it down is rotation after PSG, which might make for a quiet first half.

I'm going 3-0 to City, with Haaland the likeliest first scorer and most of the goals coming after the break.

If you'd rather not pay, the game is free on DAMITV with no account. Open our Champions League live streams page on the night or bookmark the Manchester City live stream page. City's league games are on the Premier League streams hub, and Spanish speakers can use Champions League en vivo.

TV channels by country
United KingdomTNT Sports UltimateTNT Sports 1
United StatesParamount+ US
CanadaDAZN Canada
IndiaSony LIV
AustraliaStan Sport AU
GermanyDAZN Germany
ItalySky Go IT
PortugalDAZN Portugal
BrazilHBO Max BR
AustriaDAZN Austria
BulgariaMAX Sport 2 BG
ChinaIQiyi CN
CroatiaArena Sport 2 HR
DenmarkViaplay DK
Listings from TheSportsDB; broadcasters can change, so check your local guide.

Two quick questions

What channel is Man City vs AEK on in the UK?

TNT Sports or Amazon Prime Video. Prime takes first pick of the Tuesday fixtures, so it depends which game it chooses.

Have Man City and AEK played before?

No. This is the first competitive meeting between the clubs, so there's no head-to-head to go on.

The same night has PSG vs Barcelona and Liverpool vs Villarreal if you want something less predictable.

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