Sabasports Match Preview
UEFA Conference League: AEK Athens vs Universitatea Craiova
Kickoff Time: 2025-12-19 04:00 (HKT)
Source:REUTERS/Umit Bektas
This is the final match of the 2025-26 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage. Currently, AEK Athens has 10 points, and since Crystal Palace, ranked ninth, has only 9 points, AEK Athens only needs to win this match to guarantee a place in the top 8 and secure direct advancement to the knockout stage round of 16. From recent performances, AEK Athens is in excellent form, achieving an 8-match winning streak across all competitions. In the last league match, the team made some rotations; key players such as winger Aboubakary Koita, attacking midfielder Petros Mantalos, left midfielder Stavros Pilios, and defender Stavros Pilios did not start. Clearly, the team intends to reserve energy for this match. After five rounds of European competition, AEK Athens has scored 11 goals, the most among the 36 participating teams, with 8 of these goals being assisted, showcasing a strong team collaboration spirit. Koita is the team’s leading scorer in European competitions with 3 goals and is in contention for the Europa Conference League Golden Boot. In the last European match, it was Koita’s goal that helped the team come from behind to defeat Samsunspor.
Universitatea Craiova finished third in last season’s Romanian league and started this season’s Europa Conference League from the second round of qualifying, successfully advancing to the main tournament. Currently, the team has 7 points and, due to a lack of goal difference advantage, is no longer in contention for direct qualification to the top 8, only aiming for qualification for the playoffs for positions 9-24. Statistics show that Universitatea Craiova has only scored 4 goals in the group stage of the Europa Conference League, demonstrating a mediocre attacking capability, with all 4 goals scored by different players, indicating a lack of a reliable scorer. Recently, the team has been severely impacted by injuries. Winger Carlos Mora is absent due to a muscle tear, defensive midfielder Tudor Băluță is out with appendicitis, and the team’s third-highest valued midfielder Vladimir Screciu is also missing due to cramps, preventing the team from fielding their strongest lineup. In the last European match, Anzor Mekvabishvili missed a penalty in front of home fans, severely impacting team morale.
There is a significant disparity in strength between the two teams; AEK Athens’ first-team squad is valued at €70.48 million, while Universitatea Craiova’s total player value is only €26.05 million. With AEK Athens currently on a winning streak and in peak condition, facing a visiting team that is overall weaker, it is believed that AEK Athens will not miss the opportunity to secure all 3 points.
AEK Athens’s Last 5 Games: WWWWW
25-12-14 Panathinaikos 0-5 AEK Athens
25-12-12 Samsunspor 1-2 AEK Athens
25-12-08 AEK Athens 4-1 Atromitos
25-12-01 Panathinaikos 2-3 AEK Athens
25-11-28 Fiorentina 0-1 AEK Athens
Universitatea Craiova’s Last 5 Games: LWWDL
25-12-12 Universitatea Craiova 1-2 Sparta Prague
25-11-28 Universitatea Craiova 1-0 Mainz
25-11-07 Rapid Vienna 0-1 Universitatea Craiova
25-10-24 Universitatea Craiova 1-1 Noah FC
25-10-03 Raków Czestochowa 2-0 Universitatea Craiova
Head-to-Head Record:
19-08-16 AEK Athens 1-1 Universitatea Craiova
19-08-09 Universitatea Craiova 0-2 AEK Athens
Prediction: AEK Athens wins