- AEK have won 2, drawn 2 and lost 1 of their last 5 competitive matches.
- Beitar Jerusalem have won 5, drawn 4 and lost just 1 of their last 10 games in all competitions.
AEK a solid side, but not sensational
AEK Larnaca look solid and well-balanced under Javi Rozada, who has built them into a team that can sit deep, control the play and get on the front foot in transition or from set pieces. The Cyprus giants are not the most adventurous side, but with livewire attacker Riad Bajic - who has scored four of AEK's eight goals in the last five games - they have an outlet to punish teams if they get caught out.
AEK's last 3 games demonstrate their mentality, starting with a 2-2 draw with Pafos FC, followed by a wild 4-3 win at Aris Limmasol and a 1-0 friendly loss to Ajax. It's a good run, but it's also not blindingly impressive, and Beitar Jerusalem will fancy their chances on Thursday.
Beitar have brought a new edge to their game
Almog Cohen has certainly injected a new energy and a front-foot approach into Beitar Jerusalem. It's clear from the last 5 matches that the team will at least fight to the death under his leadership.
Beitar have won just one of their last 5, but drew their two most recent games, including a 1-1 home standoff with Hapoel Tel-Aviv. They're a more solid side than they were last year, but also a little blunt up front and perhaps still have one or two things to work on.
Match styles should make for a tight game
The match odds reflect a belief that AEK are the more likely winner at 1.88, while Beitar are 4.07 and the draw 3.7. That doesn't ring true, and we're going with the under 2.5 goals market at 1.91 and BTTS yes at 1.72.
AEK can play their low block style and get a result, which means Beitar will need to stretch them wide and speed up the tempo if they are to break down AEK. Conversely, if AEK keep it narrow and find a few counter attacks, they can spoil the party. We're taking the cagey AEK win as the most likely result because these two won't deviate from their game plan, and it might take one big moment to break this one open.
