The champion PFC „Levski“ Sofia begins its decisive preparation for the historic playoff clash to enter the group stage of the Champions League.
The team led by Julio Velasquez has developed a strict schedule that aims for maximum secrecy before the home match against the Greek champion FC AEK Athens on August 18 (Tuesday) at 10:00 PM at the National Stadium „Vasil Levski“.
Football24.bg was the first to reveal the full program of the „Blues“. Before the coveted match, Levski will hold a total of four sessions, relying on complete tactical isolation. The schedule by day looks like this way:
- August 14 (Friday) at 11:00: The only fully open training for fans and media at the “Georgi Asparuhov“ stadium.
- August 15th (Saturday) at 11:00am: Indoor tactical class at “Gerena“.
- August 16 (Sunday) at 11:00: Second closed training session to clarify the starting lineup.
- August 17 (Monday): Official indoor training before the match, combined with a press conference by Velasquez.
After successively eliminating Borac Banja Luka, Universitat Craiova and most recently Kairat Almaty, the “blues“ requested and received an official postponement of their championship match against Slavia in the First League. This provides them with full focus and physical recovery.
Statistics and forecasts give the advantage to AEK Athens
Despite the enthusiasm of “Gerena“ and the strong form of Brazilian winger Reinaldo, the reality according to mathematical models is harsh. As reported by Sportal.bg, modern artificial intelligence algorithms define Levski as a clear outsider in the duel. The Bulgarian team's chances of qualifying for the actual phase of the Champions League are estimated at only 28%, which makes AEK Athens a firm favorite - even for the first match in the middle of Sofia.
The Greek giants recently suffered disappointment, losing the final of the Greek Super Cup to OFI Crete after penalties, but this will only make their selection, reinforced with classy additions such as Lovro Meyer from Wolfsburg, more ambitious.
The stakes for Levski are huge. The “Blues“ have already guaranteed themselves participation in the group stage of the Europa League and a minimum of 10 million euros from UEFA. However, a possible success over AEK Athens will double these revenues to nearly 20 million euros and will return the team to the most commercial tournament for the first time since 2006.