The draw for the Champions League play-offs, the last stage before the draw for the group stage, took place on Monday 7 August.
While Olympique de Marseille must face the Greeks of Panathiniaikos this Wednesday, August 9 for the third preliminary round first leg of the Champions League, the draw for the play-offs took place on Monday August 7 at 12:10 p.m. near Nyon. If the 3rd round promises to be complicated against the Greeks, the last stage before the group stage of the Champions League promises to be even more complicated. Not seeded for this draw, the Olympians could face a well-known opponent with Braga or the Serbs of Bačka Topola. If on paper the 3rd of the last French Ligue 1 championship seems above, familiarity with the Champions League galvanizes the troops and the meeting should not be taken lightly. If and only if the 3rd round is passed, theOM will play on August 22/23 and 29/30.
- Rangers FC (SCO) – Servette FC (SUI) vs PSV Eindhoven (NED) – SK Sturm Graz (AUT)
- SC Braga (POR) – FK TSC Bačka Topola (SRB) vs Panathinaikos FC (GRE) – Olympique de Marseille (FRA)
In 2024, the Champions League will once again be eagerly awaited by all European clubs who all hope to lift the trophy. As a reminder, the competition will welcome 4 additional teams, and will take place in the form of a championship (final ranking from 1 to 36, therefore), but each team will meet “only” 8 opponents, with 4 games played at home and 4 outside. In detail, at the end of the first phase, a ranking from 1 to 36 will be made. The teams classified from 1 to 8 are directly qualified for the round of 16 while the teams classified from 9 to 24 compete in a round of 16 (play-off) to arrive at 16 teams in total.
What are the dates for the draws?
Here are the details of all the draws of the year in the Champions League:
- Group stage: 31 August 2023
- Round of 16: December 18, 2023
- Quarters and semi-finals: March 15, 2024