UEFA CUP 2007/2008, First Round first leg. AEK Athens v Red Bull Salzburg Thursday 20 September 2007 – 7:00 pm Greek time, Olympic Stadium, Athens
A superb first half propelled the champions to a deserved 2-1 win over Mattersburg yesterday evening, the Bulls’ first success against the Burgenlanders in 2007.
The victory, Salzburg’s fifth in five home matches so far this season, thrust the Bulls into the top two.
A squad brimming with confidence can now head to Athens for the UEFA tie with AEK this Thursday.
The club are to board a 9 am flight on Wednesday bound for Athens. A training session will take place shortly after arrival at 6 pm local time.
Now to introduce the opponents in this crucial European encounter:
Did you know that...?
...AEK Athens play in Greece’s biggest stadium, the OAKA Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium.
...The stadium has had a high-profile recent past, having hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics and last season’s AC Milan v Liverpool Champions League Final.
...AEK Athens’s current squad contains both a World Cup Winner (Rivaldo in 2002) and a European Champion (Traianos Dellas in 2004).
...AEK also have an Austrian in their ranks. Jürgen Macho, capped 11 times by Austria, has been on the books of AEK since the start of the season. The goalkeeper was previously at Chelsea, Rapid Vienna and most recently Kaiserslautern.
...Salzburg are definitely taking on AEK Athens in the right sport, as the club’s basketball side are one of the finest in Europe, mixing it at the very top of both the Greek league and the Euroleague (basketball’s Champions League).
...Current club president Demis Nikolaidis is a former AEK Athens legend and was part of the great 2004 Greek eleven who stunned the footballing world by becoming European Champions in Portugal.
