Celje looking to double the Greek tragedy

Welcome to the Arena Z'dežele, or as the AEK Athens defense calls it: "that place where our dignity went to die." The Conference League Round of 16 is here, and while the Champions League snobs are busy arguing over billionaire-funded dynasties, we get the real stuff. NK Celje versus AEK Athens. It is the rematch nobody in Greece asked for but everyone in Slovenia is salivating over.

Let’s be honest, Celje have no business being this confident. They finished a mediocre 13th in the league phase and had to scrape past KF Drita in the play-offs. Domestically, they’ve spent the last fortnight losing to teams like Bravo and Aluminij. Losing to a team named Bravo is rarely something to brag about unless you are being incredibly sarcastic. But put these Slovenians in a European stadium and they suddenly transform into a collective nightmare.

Especially Franko Kovačević. This man treated the AEK backline like training cones in October, bagging a hat-trick in a 3-1 win that still has the Athens faithful waking up in cold sweats. AEK arrive today at the top of the Greek Super League on a 16-match unbeaten streak, yet they look like a team walking into a haunted house. They are statistically SUPERIOR in every department, but they have the collective PTSD of a group that knows exactly what Kovačević is capable of.

Luka Jović is leading the line for the Greeks, finally proving that his career didn’t actually end in a Real Madrid basement. He has 17 goals this season, but can he do it on a chilly Thursday night in Celje? History says no. Logic says yes. But this is the Conference League, where logic goes to die and Slovenian underdogs thrive on pure spite. Expect AEK to dominate possession while Celje scores every time they accidentally cross the halfway line.

Prediction: NK Celje 2-2 AEK Athens