Champions League Matchday 1: AEK Athens vs LASK facts

AEK Athens' return to the UEFA Champions League after a seven-season absence pits them against a LASK team who are making their debut in the competition proper.

Previous meetings

This is the sides' first fixture, and LASK's first game against a Greek club.

AEK are unbeaten in their last three matches against Austrian teams (W1 D2). Most recently they drew 2-2 at home and 0-0 away against Austria Wien in the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League group stage.

The Greek club's home record against Austrian visitors is W2 D1 L2; overall it is W3 D3 L4.

Form guide

AEK Athens

AEK have reached the Champions League proper for the sixth time, and the first since 2018/19, when they finished fourth in their group behind Bayern München, Ajax and Benfica having lost all six games.

The Athens club have now come through qualifying to reach the Champions League on six occasions – the last occasion before this season 2018/19 – losing a further four times.

LASK

This is only LASK's third European Cup campaign. They lost 2-5 on aggregate against Górnik Zabrze in the 1965/66 preliminary round and beat Basel 5-2 on aggregate in the 2019/20 third qualifying round before going down 1-3 to Club Brugge in the play-off round (0-1 h, 1-2 a).

LASK are the fifth Austrian club to feature in the Champions League proper, after Salzburg, Sturm Graz, Rapid Wien and Austria Wien.

Links and trivia

AEK returned to the Champions League proper with a 4-0 aggregate win against Levski Sofia in the play-off round (0-0 a, 4-0 h).

The second leg of that tie was AEK's ninth win in 11 home European games (D1 L1).

The Greek club were Conference League quarter-finalists in 2025/26, losing 3-4 on aggregate to eventual runners-up Rayo Vallecano.

The Athens club have won only two of their 30 Champions League group stage/league phase matches (D12 L16), both in 2006/07 – successive 1-0 victories against LOSC Lille and AC Milan.

AEK have failed to score in their last four Champions League group stage matches.

The Greek side have lost only three of their last 19 European games (W11 D5) and are unbeaten in five in the league phase (W4 D1).

LASK have made three appearances in the Europa League proper and two in the Conference League.

The Austrian club reached this stage for the first time with a remarkable comeback victory against Celtic in the play-off round (0-3 a, 5-1 h aet).

That second-leg success ended LASK's 11-game winless European run (D4 L7).

However, the Black-Whites are winless in 11 away UEFA matches (D1 L10) and have not won any of their last eight UEFA competition group stage/league phase fixtures (D3 L5).

Only four of LASK's 93 UEFA competition matches finished goalless.

LASK won the league and cup double in Austria last season – their first major honours since also lifting both trophies in 1964/65.

The Austrian club are one of four teams to be making their debut in the Champions League proper in 2026/27, along with Como, Sabah and Viking.