**Manchester City cruise past AEK Athens at the Etihad — this is the fixture where Pep's machine remembers how to dominate.** City's been wildly inconsistent (beating Liverpool 3-0 one week, losing to PSG 4-2 the next), but a trip from Athens to England's northwest rarely ends well for the visitors. 🔵

AEK come in mid-table Greek form with decent Europa/CL pedigree, but they're hobbled by key absences and facing a side that *should* click at home in continental competition. City will smell blood early.

Key storylines:

- **Erling Haaland** leads the line for City in a mismatch of star power vs a Greek defense already short-staffed with **Thigh Injury** and **Wrist Injury** ruled out
- AEK's midfield quartet of **Luka Majer**, **Romain Marin**, and co. will battle to keep City's creative engine — **Edu Anderson**, **Emile Fernández** — at arm's length
- Manchester City's **4-2-3-1** blueprint designed to suffocate and slick-pass through Greece's **4-4-2** shape 🎯

Expected lineups:

- **Manchester City**: Donnarumma, Guéhi, Dias, Reis, Lewis, Semenyo, Anderson, Haaland, Fernández, McAidoo, Gvardiol
- **AEK Athens**: Brignoli, Pilios, Relvas, Moukoudi, Rota, Majer, Marin, Vitális, Koita, Jović, Zini

Prediction:

**City 4–1 Athens.** Haaland feasts; AEK nicks one on the break but can't hang.

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