Only two Hungarian clubs have ever taken part in the UEFA Champions League group stage and, to make it three, Vidi must overcome an AEK Athens side who have themselves not reached that mark since 2006/07.
• Debrecen were the last Hungarian side to reach the group stage, in 2009/10, following in the footsteps of Ferencváros in 1995/96. In their bid to emulate them, Vidi have come through three rounds already this season while AEK overcame the European pedigree of Celtic in the third qualifying round.
Form guide
Vidi
• Known as Videoton until earlier this year, Vidi beat Luxembourg’s Dudelange in the first qualifying round (1-1 away, 2-1 home) before aggregate victories against Ludogorets (0-0 away, 1-0 home) and Malmö (1-1 away, 0-0 home).
• The Hungarian club have lost only one of their last nine European games (W3 D5), a 4-0 home defeat against Partizan in last season’s UEFA Europa League play-off second leg to confirm aggregate elimination by the same scoreline. That is Vidi’s only defeat in seven home European outings (W4 D2).
• This is Vidi’s third UEFA Champions League campaign, and the first time they have made the play-offs; their 2011/12 debut ended in the second qualifying round, while they progressed a stage further in their most recent effort, in 2015/16.
• UEFA Cup finalists in 1984/85 – losing to Real Madrid – Vidi’s play-off record in the UEFA Europa League is W1 L2, their lone success coming on penalties against Trabzonspor in 2012/13 after two goalless draws.
• Vidi have never before played a Greek club in UEFA competition.
AEK Athens
• AEK won the Greek league title for the 12th time in 2017/18 – their first championship success since 1994.
• The Athens club have participated in four previous UEFA Champions League group stage campaigns, most recently in 2006/07. Their two subsequent forays into the competition, in 2007/08 and 2017/18, both ended in the third qualifying round, where they entered this season’s competition and defeated Celtic 3-2 on aggregate (1-1 away, 2-1 home) to reach the play-offs. The home win against the Scottish champions ended AEK’s run of eight successive draws in European competition.
• Last season AEK lost to CSKA Moskva in the UEFA Champions League and moved into the UEFA Europa League, where they were ultimately eliminated by Dynamo Kyiv in the round of 32 despite avoiding defeat in all ten of their matches in the competition (W2 D8).
• AEK beat Club Brugge 3-0 on aggregate in last season’s UEFA Europa League play-offs – their fourth win in four attempts at that stage of the competition.
• The Yellow and Blacks have never won in Hungary, drawing 2-2 at Vasas in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup first round first leg, their most recent trip. AEK have won all five home games against Greek visitors.
Links and trivia
• Loïc Nego and Astrit Ajdarević were Standard Liége team-mates in 2013, and at Charlton in 2014.
• Vidi forward Marko Šćepović made 13 league appearances for Olympiacos in 2013/14, scoring four goals in the club’s Greek Super League triumph.
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