UEFA Champions League third qualifying round guide
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Article summary
Ajax, CSKA Moskva, Dynamo Kyiv and Olympiacos are among 13 clubs entering the UEFA Champions League in the third qualifying round, which got under way on 25 July.
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A little over two months after defeat against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final, Ajax play their first competitive fixture of the 2017/18 season when they take on Nice in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.
Split pathways
The Amsterdam side are one of ten clubs entering the competition at this stage in the league route – made up of the third-placed team from the sixth-ranked member association (France) plus the runners-up from the associations ranked 7th to 15th – as qualifying splits.
The other avenue, the champions route, involves the 17 winners of the second qualifying round ties plus the title winners from the three highest-ranked associations that do not qualify for an automatic group place (Greece, Czech Republic and Romania).
Newcomers
İstanbul Başakşehir, Nice and Viitorul are making their first appearances in the UEFA Champions League.
İstanbul (P6 D2 L4) and Viitorul (P2 D1 L1) only made their continental debuts in 2015/16 and 2016/17 respectively and have both yet to win a game.
Nice, however, have a proud European Cup history dating back 60 years. The Côte d'Azur outfit were quarter-finalists in 1956/57 and 1959/60, losing to Real Madrid on both occasions.
What's next?
- Second legs: 1 and 2 August
- Play-off draw: 4 August (12:00CET, streamed live on UEFA.com)
Tuesday
Qarabağ 0-0 Sheriff
Slavia Praha 1-0 BATE Borisov
AEK Athens 0-2 CSKA Moskva*
FCSB 2-2 Viktoria Plzeň*
Vardar 1-0 København
Partizan 1-3 Olympiacos
Wednesday
Astana v Legia Warszawa
Dynamo Kyiv v Young Boys*
Salzburg v Rijeka
Hapoel Beer-Sheva v Ludogorets
Viitorul v APOEL
Maribor v FH Hafnarfjördur
Nice v Ajax*
Celtic v Rosenborg
Club Brugge v İstanbul Başakşehir*
*League route ties