Rayo Vallecano Form
In the round of 16, the Spanish side proved stronger than Samsunspor. The club made things difficult for themselves, losing narrowly at home after an away win by 3:1 in the first leg, but across the two matches Rayo Vallecano looked the more convincing team. The defeat in Madrid was only their second in this season’s Conference League; earlier in the competition, the team had won three matches in a row. It is also worth noting that the Spanish side failed to score for the first time in their last 10 European matches. Over the course of their last seven Conference League games, Rayo Vallecano have kept a clean sheet only once.
- At least 2 goals have been scored in 8 of the club’s last 9 Conference League matches.
- The Spanish side’s run without draws in this competition has reached six games (four wins, two defeats).
- Rayo Vallecano have won with a (+1.5) handicap in 10 straight Conference League matches.
Potential Rayo Vallecano Lineup (4-3-3)*
Augusto Batalla – Andrei Ratiu, Florian Lejeune, Luis Felipe, Pep Chavarria – Pathe Ciss, Unai Lopez, Isi Palason – Jorge de Frutos, Alvaro Garcia, Aleman.
AEK Athens Form
The Greek side all but sealed their place in the quarter-finals after the first leg against Celje – away from home, AEK Athens thrashed their opponents 4:0. From there, the team simply looked to protect their advantage across the two legs, so the return match ended in defeat (0:2), but the club still went through. The negative is that the Greek side saw a four-match winning run in the Conference League come to an end. The team also lost for the first time in their last seven European matches (five wins, one draw).
- At least 2 goals have been scored in 11 of AEK Athens’ last 12 Conference League games.
- The club’s scoring run away from home in this competition stands at six matches.
- The team have avoided defeat in 6 of their last 7 away matches in the Conference League (three wins, three draws).
Potential AEK Athens Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Thomas Strakosha – Harold Moukoudi, Lazaros Rota, Stavros Pilios, Filipe Relvas – Orbelin Pineda, Razvan Marin – Mijat Gacinovic, Dereck Kutesa, Aboubakary Koita – Luka Jovic.
Match Officials
Benoit Bastien (France)
Matches – 9 (international fixtures, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 37;
Yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 2;
Fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 56%.
* For each team, the starting XI from its previous match in this competition is listed.
