AEK Athens have been drawn against Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League stage.
The Greek club were handed a challenging list of eight opponents for the newly formatted league phase of Europe's top club competition. AEK will face Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Como and LASK.
Greek International Matchups for AEK
The draw sets up several high-profile encounters between AEK and Greek international players competing for major European clubs. AEK, managed by head coach Marko Nikolic, will face Borussia Dortmund, whose squad includes Greek international midfielders Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias.
Nikolic's side will also face Italian club Roma, featuring Greek international defender Konstantinos Koulierakis, as well as Serie A side Como, who signed Greek international forward Tasos Douvikas.
Fixture venue allocations confirm that AEK will host Roma at home in Athens. The Greek side will travel away to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund and to Italy to play Como.
Lazaros Rota Wish Granted
The outcome of the draw fulfilled a specific request made by AEK defender Lazaros Rota. Following AEK's qualification over Bulgarian side Levski Sofia in the preliminary rounds, Rota expressed his desire to meet Borussia Dortmund in the league phase.
Rota stated after the victory against Levski Sofia that he wanted to draw Borussia Dortmund so he could play against his friends Karetsas and Konstantelias. He added that he hoped to face Christos Tzolis, Konstantelias and Karetsas in order to make things difficult for his international teammates on the pitch.
Arsenal Host Dortmund at Emirates
Beyond AEK's fixtures, the Champions League draw created another major Greek confrontation in London. English champions Arsenal were drawn against Borussia Dortmund in a marquee match at the Emirates Stadium.
The fixture at the Emirates Stadium will see Greek international winger Christos Tzolis, playing for Arsenal, face his national team colleagues Konstantelias and Karetsas in Dortmund's ranks.
Background on the Champions League Format
The UEFA Champions League features a revamped league phase format where 36 qualified clubs compete in a single standings table. Each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents, four at home and four away, replacing the former traditional four-team group stage format.
AEK Athens, founded in 1924, are one of Greece's most successful football clubs and play their home matches at the OPAP Arena in Athens. Head coach Marko Nikolic took charge of the team ahead of their European campaign, guiding them through the qualifying stages past Levski Sofia.
Borussia Dortmund, eight-time German champions based in North Rhine-Westphalia, routinely compete at the highest level of European football. Arsenal, based in North London, secured their place in the competition as reigning English champions.
