Brighton vs AEK Athens
UEFA Europa League
Group B
Thursday
21st September 2023
Amex Stadium
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of matchday 1 of the UEFA Europa League fixture between Brighton and AEK Athens.
Brighton vs AEK Athens: Preview
Brighton form analysis
Albion have started the season impressively, with their attacking play catching the eye. They thrashed Luton 4-1 in their opener, highlighted by an electric performance from Ferguson.
March has also been in excellent goalscoring form, netting twice in the 4-1 thrashing of Wolves. However, Brighton’s high-risk attacking approach has exposed some defensive vulnerabilities. This was evident in their 3-1 home defeat to West Ham, where poor defending led to goals from Ward-Prowse, Bowen and Antonio.
Nevertheless, Brighton showed their resilience by bouncing back from that loss with an excellent 3-1 win away at Newcastle. Ferguson was again on target, underlining his emergence as a real goal threat this season. Most recently, Brighton produced their best performance of the campaign so far to stun Manchester United 3-1 away. Welbeck, Groß and João Pedro were all on target to hand Erik ten Hag his first loss.
Overall, Brighton have shown they can seriously trouble top teams with their fearless attacking play, but need to strike a better balance to tighten up at the back.
AEK Athens form analysis
AEK Athens began their Champions League campaign with a disappointing 1-0 away loss to Antwerp. They struggled to create many clear chances and the solitary goal from Janssen condemned them to defeat.
In their next match in the Greek Super League, AEK could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Panserraikos despite dominating possession. They again lacked a cutting edge in attack.
Their European form did not improve as they lost 2-1 at home to Antwerp, despite Araújo equalizing late on. In their next league game, AEK produced an improved attacking display to beat Volos 3-2 away from home. Goals from new signings Zuber and Amrabat secured the win, though defensive issues remained.
Most recently, AEK drew 1-1 at home against Olympiakos in a tight game. Ponce put them ahead but they could not hold on for all three points. Overall, AEK have struggled to find consistent goalscoring form so far.
Their defense has also looked vulnerable, conceding cheap goals at times. However, their come-from-behind win over Volos demonstrated they have attacking threats, especially from new signings like Zuber.
