UEFA Champions League 2021/22

[Lineker]

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Spartak Moskva vs Benfica and Genk vs Shakhtar Donetsk are among the confirmed ties on 3/4 and 10 August after the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round draw was made at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

Scottish champions Rangers will face either Sweden's Malmö or Finland's HJK Helsinki in their first game on the champions path, while Slavia Praha will start out against the winners of the tie between Hungary's Ferencváros and Žalgiris Vilnius of Lithuania. The eventual winners in this path with join Salzburg and Brøndby in the play-offs, with four group places on offer.

The league path, meanwhile, will bring Spartak Moskva and Benfica back together, the sides having each recorded home wins when they met in the 2012/13 group stage. The eventual winners in this path will go into the play-offs to meet for the two available group spots.

All teams that play in the third qualifying round are assued a place in the group stage of one of the three club competitions.

Champions path draw
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) / Omonoia FC (CYP) vs Legia Warszawa (POL) / Flora Tallinn (EST)
Lincoln Red Imps (GIB) / CFR Cluj (ROU) vs Slovan Bratislava (SVK) / Young Boys (SUI)
Olympiacos (GRE) / Neftçi PFK (AZE) vs Mura (SVN) / Ludogorets (BUL)
Kairat Almaty (KAZ) / Crvena zvezda (SRB) vs Alashkert (ARM) / Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)
Malmö (SWE) / HJK Helsinki (FIN) vs Rangers (SCO)
Ferencváros (HUN) / Žalgiris Vilnius (LTU) vs SK Slavia Praha (CZE)

• Losing teams in the champions path enter the UEFA Europa League play-offs, from which the winners reach the UEFA Europa League group stage and the losers transfer to the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.

League path draw
PSV Eindhoven (NED) / Galatasaray (TUR) vs Celtic FC (SCO) / Midtjylland (DEN)
Spartak Moskva (RUS) vs Benfica (POR)
Genk (BEL) vs Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Monaco (FRA) vs Rapid Wien (AUT) / Sparta Praha (CZE)

• Losing sides in the league path move into the UEFA Europa League group stage.

When are the games?
Ties take place on 3/4 and 10 August, with extra time and a penalty shoot-out if required after the second leg. Winners advance to the UEFA Champions League play-offs (draw scheduled for 2 August).

Qualifying explained
Losing sides in the league path move into the UEFA Europa League group stage. Losing teams in the champions path enter the UEFA Europa League play-offs, from which the winners reach the UEFA Europa League group stage and the losers transfer to the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage. That means every team involved in Monday's draw will play in the group stage of one of the three competitions.

Which teams were involved in the draw?
Seven teams enter the competition in the third qualifying round, with a further 13 progressing from the second qualifying round.

How the draw worked

• There were two draws: one for the 12 teams in the champions path, the other for the eight sides in the league path.
• The draw included some teams taking part in the second qualifying round on 20/21 & 27/28 July. The higher coefficient of the two clubs involved in an undecided tie was used for the purposes of the draw.
• The teams in each draw were divided equally between seeded and unseeded sides in accordance with the club coefficient rankings.
• The balls containing the names of the seeded teams were placed in one bowl and the balls containing the unseeded sides were put into another bowl. One ball was taken from each bowl and placed in a large empty bowl in the middle, where they were shuffled. The first team drawn will play the first leg at home.
• The UEFA administration may form groups for the draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. Clubs from the same association could not be drawn against each other. As decided by the UEFA Executive Committee, teams from Ukraine and Russia must not be drawn together.

Special COVID rules
Please be aware of the special rules applicable to the qualifying phase and play-offs of the competition due to COVID-19, which can be found here.

With regard to travelling fans being admitted to matches, more information can be found here.

 

[Lineker]

Maybe next year @Kaney

[DFF]

Celtic really don't look good. Wonder if it could lead to a non-Glasgow team breaking the top 2.

[Kaney]

31 minutes ago, DFF said:

Celtic really don't look good. Wonder if it could lead to a non-Glasgow team breaking the top 2.

Not going to happen. Celtic were in a decline, last season was the absolute worst we've been in a literal decade and still finished 14 points ahead of 3rd place. They weren't great tonight but there's clear movement in the right direction with signings etc.

[Lineker]

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The UEFA Champions League play-off draw was streamed live on Monday 2 August at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

The 12 teams were drawn into six ties, which will decide the last slots in the group stage.

Champions League play-off draw
Champions path
FC Salzburg (AUT) vs Brøndby IF (DEN)
CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU) / BSC Young Boys (SUI) vs Ferencvárosi TC (HUN) / SK Slavia Praha (CZE)
Malmö FF (SWE) / Rangers FC (SCO) vs Olympiacos FC (GRE) / PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)
FK Crvena zvezda (SRB) / FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA) vs GNK Dinamo (CRO) / Legia Warszawa (POL)

League path
AS Monaco FC (FRA) / AC Sparta Praha (CZE) vs KRC Genk (BEL) / FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
FC Spartak Moskva (RUS) / SL Benfica (POR) vs PSV Eindhoven (NED) / FC Midtjylland (DEN)

Ties take place at 21:00 CET on 17/18 and 24/25 August, with extra time and a penalty shoot-out if required after the second leg. Winners advance to the UEFA Champions League group stage to join the 26 teams given direct entry (draw on 26 August); all losing sides move into the UEFA Europa League group stage (draw on 27 August).

 

[DanishmadePunk]

So two danish clubs in the Euro League (No way in hell that Brondby make it past Salzburg)

[Lineker]

Rangers are out too - bested by Malmo.

[gunnar hendershow]

Malmo were down a man the entire 2nd half too. Tough for Rangers to lose that.

[Baddar]

Group stage draw is this evening.

[The Lusophone]

That pot 2 is disgusting.

[Baddar]

Yeah, I was gonna point out that it's as close to Pot 1 in terms of depth as it's ever been. Especially as none of the Pot 1 teams will particularly want to play anyone from Pot 2.

Except United, lol. 😏

[Malenko]

I know it has been like that for a while but as someone who started watching football in the late 80s and early 90s, it's still weird to see AC Milan in the "you've done well to get this far" pot.

[Szumi]

Yeah, Pot 2 teams gonna be hoping for Lille/Villarreal/Sporting... Or United 😑 Honestly, Lille are the team to get. They're going to finish below 10th this year in Ligue 1. 

Absolutely don't want Leipzig/Benfica/Atalanta in Pot 3. Ideally not Porto either. I want Liverpool/Salzburg again so the Medford Messi gets to play at Anfield 😍

[The Kraig]

Ooof. RIP Sheriff.

[Lineker]

• Group A - Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig
• Group B - Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Porto
• Group C - Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund
• Group D - Internazionale, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk
• Group E - Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Benfica
• Group F - Villarreal, Manchester United, Atalanta
• Group G - Lille, Sevilla, Salzburg
• Group H - Chelsea, Juventus, Zenit

[LL!]

6 minutes ago, Lineker said:

• Group A - Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig
• Group B - Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Porto
• Group C - Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax
• Group D - Internazionale, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk
• Group E - Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Benfica
• Group F - Villarreal, Manchester United, Atalanta
• Group G - Lille, Sevilla, Salzburg
• Group H - Chelsea, Juventus, Zenit

I fixed your FUCK UP. 

[DavidMarrio]

If I can get a ticket secured for the autocup scheme they'll be some good European nights

Should qualify. Tough group but should be finishing in the top 2

[Lineker]

6 minutes ago, LL! said:

I fixed your FUCK UP. 

...no, you didn't!

 

FULL draw:

• Group A - Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge.
• Group B - Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Porto, AC Milan.
• Group C - Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Besiktas.
• Group D - Internazionale, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sheriff Tiraspol.
• Group E - Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Benfica, Dynamo Kyiv
• Group F - Villarreal, Manchester United, Atalanta, Young Boys.
• Group G - Lille, Sevilla, Salzburg, Wolfsburg.
• Group H - Chelsea, Juventus, Zenit, Malmo.

[Hobo]

it seems that AC Milan and Liverpool have never played a competitive game at Anfield? Because the two sides have only ever met in European finals.

[Szumi]

Group A will be tasty, especially if Ronaldo actually does join City. Pep/Ronaldo vs Messi would be great. Leipzig have zero chance of upsetting the odds again.

We absolutely have the toughest group overall from 1-4 with Atleti, Porto, and Milan. It is not going to be easy, and will have to be at our best to qualify.

United and Chelsea should easily qualify. Loving the Salzburg draw. They have a good chance to qualify, and I'm all for seeing Brendan Aaronson dazzle in this competition.