Manchester City Host AEK Athens Tuesday: Kickoff, Streaming and Injury Questions
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Manchester City host AEK Athens at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in a Champions League match that kicks off at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT). In the U.S., there is no TV broadcast: the game is streaming only, on Paramount+, according to OregonLive and NJ.com.
Both clubs arrive after defeats last week, and reports differ on which City players are fit, which makes the starting lineups one of the main questions going into the game.
How both teams arrive
City lost 4-2 to PSG on Oct. 14, World Soccer Talk reported, after opening their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win at Porto on Sept. 8. OregonLive said City have three points from two matches. NJ.com reported that the club has conceded six goals in its last two games, even though it has won seven straight Premier League games and sits atop that table. The most recent of those wins came against Ipswich on Saturday.
AEK Athens, the Greek champions, also have three points from two matches, according to OregonLive. World Soccer Talk reported that they beat LASK 1-0 on Sept. 8 and then lost 3-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk on Oct. 14. NJ.com said that defeat ended AEK's unbeaten run and described this as the first Champions League meeting between the two clubs.
The betting lines published by OregonLive show City as heavy favorites. The moneyline lists City at -900, AEK at +1900 and a draw at +900, with a spread of City -2.5 and an over/under of 3.5.
Conflicting reports on team news
The three outlets do not agree on City's availability. NJ.com reported that Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly all finished the Ipswich game injured. It said Semenyo is out for up to eight weeks with a knee injury. NJ.com's predicted lineup nonetheless has Haaland leading the attack. It reported that Haaland has scored five goals in his last three games for City, while OregonLive said he has four in Champions League play this season.
World Soccer Talk, by contrast, said City have no absences listed. Its lineup under coach Enzo Maresca has Jérémy Doku as the lone striker and does not include Haaland in its attacking line. That article's headline calls the lineups confirmed, but its text describes them as projected, so readers should expect final team sheets closer to kickoff to settle the matter.
For AEK, NJ.com said goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha is out with a wrist injury. World Soccer Talk said there are no absences and named Alberto Brignoli in goal. All three outlets point to veteran striker Luka Jović as a key figure in AEK's attack. NJ.com said the visitors are likely to try to frustrate City.
What this means for viewers in the U.S.
Because the match is not on U.S. television, fans need a Paramount+ subscription to watch in English. NJ.com explained that CBS Sports is the exclusive English-language home of the Champions League in the U.S., so Paramount+ streams every match in the competition. It added that a Spanish-language stream is available on DAZN. Both outlets said there is no free way to stream this game.
OregonLive listed the Paramount+ prices:
- Essential Plan: $8.99 per month or $89.99 per year.
- Premium Plan: $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year.
NJ.com pointed to one cheaper route. A Walmart+ membership includes a choice of Peacock or Paramount+, and the outlet said the $1 price for this option is valid for only 30 days.
The 3 p.m. ET start is 12 p.m. PT and 1 p.m. MT, according to OregonLive, so West Coast viewers will be watching in the middle of the day.
Around Prague, based on reporting by World Soccer Talk, OregonLive.com, NJ.com
