UEFA officials have completed the Champions League playoff round draw in Nyon, determining the final qualification hurdles for teams seeking to join the league phase. The third qualifying round is already underway with ten fixtures split between the 'league route' and 'champions route' as clubs battle for seven remaining spots.
The league route features some classic European matchups. "Rangers" face "Viktoria Plzen", "Salzburg" take on "Club Brugge", "Nice" battle "Benfica", and "Feyenoord" clash with "Fenerbahçe". Winners of these ties will advance to decisive playoff fixtures determined by yesterday's draw.
"The competition is reaching its critical stage with only seven qualification spots remaining for the league phase," a UEFA representative noted during the draw ceremony.
Interestingly, the winners of Feyenoord-Fenerbahçe will meet the victors of Nice-Benfica in the playoffs, meaning three of these four clubs will miss out on Champions League football this season. Similarly, the Rangers-Viktoria Plzen winners will face whoever advances from Salzburg-Brugge.
The champions route includes Bodo/Glimt against Sturm Graz in a confirmed playoff fixture, while Celtic awaits the winner of Kairat-Slovan Bratislava. The remaining matchups depend on third-round results between teams like Ludogorets, Ferencvaros, Shkendija, and Qarabag.
Do these seven qualifiers really stand a chance against Europe's giants? They'll join 28 already-qualified teams including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Athletic Club.
By the way, "Athletic Club" enters the competition from pot 4, with only Newcastle having a lower coefficient among qualified teams. The Basque side will learn their opponents when the league phase draw takes place in Monaco on August 28. Each team will face two opponents from each pot – one home match and one away.
The new-format Champions League kicks off for Athletic on September 16, 17, or 18. Can the Spanish underdogs make an impact against Europe's elite?
