UEFA Champions League 2022-23

[Saoirse]

It's only mid-June, but the Champions League is about the start its' long, winding road to İstanbul! This Tuesday sees the Preliminary Round semi-finals taking place, with all Preliminary Round games hosted in Reykjavík this year:

FCI Levadia (EST) vs Víkingur Reykjavík (ISL)
La Fiorita (SMR) vs Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND)

The two winners will then contest the Preliminary Round Final on Friday night, with the winners of the first semi-final heavily favoured to advance to the First Knockout Round. These ties will have their first legs on the 5/6th of July, and their seconds legs on the 12th/13th.

Pyunik (ARM) vs CFR Cluj (ROU)
Maribor (SVN) vs Shakhtyor Soligorsk (BLR)*#
Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL) vs Sutjeska Nikšić (MNE)
F91 Dudelange (LUX) vs Tirana (ALB)
Tobol (KAZ) vs Ferencváros (HUN)
Malmö FF (SWD) vs Preliminary Round Winners (EST/ISL/SMR/AND)
Ballkani (KOS) vs Žalgiris (LTU)
HJK (FIN) vs RFS (LVA)#
Bodø/Glimt (NOR) vs KÍ Klaksvík (FRO)
The New Saints (WAL) vs Linfield (NIR)
Shamrock Rovers (IRL) vs Hibernians (MLT)
Lech Poznań (POL) vs Qarabağ (AZE)
Shkupi (MKD) vs Lincoln Red Imps (GIB)
Zrinjski (BIH) vs Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)
Slovan Bratislava (SVK) vs Dinamo Batumi (GEO)

Losers from both the Preminary Rounds and the First Qualifying Round will drop into the UEFA Europa Conference League Second Qualifying Round Champions Path.

*Because of UEFA sanctions currently on Belarus, Maribor will host both legs of these tie. However, the "home" leg for Shakhtyor Soligorsk will be played behind closed doors.
#By virtue of a random draw, the losers from these ties will receive a bye and enter the UEFA Europa Conference League Third Qualifying Round Champions Path instead.

The Second Qualifying Round onwards is then split into two paths - one for domestic league champions, and one for sides who entered qualifying by finishing 2nd or 3rd in one of the leagues ranked 5-15. The Second Qualifying Round draw is as follows, with all first legs played on the 19/20th July and second legs on the 26th/27th:

Champions Path

Tobol Kostanay (KAZ) / Ferencváros (HUN) vs Slovan Bratislava (SVK) / Dinamo Batumi (GEO)
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) vs Shkupi (MKD) / Lincoln Red Imps (GIB)
Lech Poznań (POL) / Qarabağ (AZE) vs Zürich (SUI)
HJK (FIN) / RFS (LVA) vs Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
The New Saints (WAL) / Linfield (NIR) vs Bodø/Glimt (NOR) / KÍ (FRO)
Ballkani (KOS) / Žalgiris (LTU) vs Malmö (SWE) / Preliminary Round Winners (EST/ISL/SMR/AND)
Ludogorets (BUL) / Sutjeska (MNE) vs Shamrock Rovers (IRL) / Hibernians (MLT)
Maribor (SVN) / Shakhtyor Soligorsk (BLR) vs Zrinjski (BIH) / Sheriff (MDA)
Maccabi Haifa (ISR) vs Olympiacos (GRE)
Pyunik (ARM) / CFR Cluj (ROU) vs F91 Dudelange (LUX) / Tirana (ALB)

League Path

Midtjylland (DEN) vs AEK Larnaca (CYP)
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) vs Fenerbahçe (TUR)*

*Kyiv's home leg will clearly not take place in Ukraine, but an alternative venue is yet to be confirmed

Losers here will drop down into the respective path in the UEFA Europa League Third Qualifying Round.

The draw for the Third Qualifying Round will take place on the 18th of July.

 

[cwy21]

Kyiv/Fenerbahce is a pretty crazy tie for the second qualifying round.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Qualifying :
Theee matches in progress at the moment
FK Qarabag 3-1 Zurich 75m
Pyunik 0-0 F91 Dudelange
Zalgiris v Malmo
Got
FC Midtjylland v AEK Larnaca
Ludogorets Razgrad v Shamrock Rovers kicking off here in 15 minutes ..
18.45 KO in RTE National telly Ireland

Linfield playing also.
Noticing
Dynamo Zagreb playing later v Shkupi - hope they lose.

 

[Nine while nine]

Qualifying :
Theee matches in progress at the moment
FK Qarabag 3-1 Zurich 75m
Pyunik 0-0 F91 Dudelange
Zalgiris v Malmo
Got
FC Midtjylland v AEK Larnaca
Ludogorets Razgrad v Shamrock Rovers kicking off here in 15 minutes ..
18.45 KO in RTE National telly Ireland

Linfield playing also.
Noticing
Dynamo Zagreb playing later v Shkupi - hope they lose.

As a matter of interest, does anyone else start singing 'I'm in Heaven' whenever they see this team's name or is it just me and Kevin Rowland?

 

[TheChosenOne]

As a matter of interest, does anyone else start singing 'I'm in Heaven' whenever they see this team's name or is it just me and Kevin Rowland?

I just thought Dude + Lange(r)

‘Langer’ is Irish slang for penis

 

[TheChosenOne]

2nd leg Champions League qualifiers tonight.
.
I wont bother listing the matches, got a WTF rating for mentioning these last week.
.
There's ECL qualifiers as well.

 

[Saoirse]

Couple of potentially interesting matches tonight

Linfield go away to Bodø/Glimt, having secured a fantastic 1-0 victory at Windsor Park. Bodø/Glimt had a run all the way to the Last 16 of the Conference League last season, knocking out Celtic and famously thrashing Mourinho's Roma side 6-1 at home as well as getting a 2-2 draw in Rome. Linfield meanwhile would secure at least Conference League Group Stage football with a win in this tie, becoming the first ever Northern Irish team to progress through qualifying.

Meanwhile in the big name tie, Fenerbache face Dynamo Kyiv. The first leg was a 0-0, played in Poland due to the war in Ukraine.

 

[Marty]

Bodø/Glimt with just the 8-0 over Linfield

 

[Marty]

Malmö have gone 3-0 down on aggregate to Lithuanian side Zalgiris, who will now face Bodø/Glimt in the next round.

The way the Malmö crowd can be watch out for some proper rioting there tonight. This is an intolerable failure.

 

[Saoirse]

Kyiv won in extra-time against Fenerbache. A big success in the circumstances, and big for Ukranian football's future too. It means they'll go into at least the Europa League Group Stage, with Shakhtar Donetsk also already in the Champions League Group Stage - a much-needed cash injection, as well as keeping their coefficient high, which will help them recover should the war end in the next couple of years.

Another shock potentially on as well - Olympiakos are losing at home to Maccabi Haifa.

 

[cwy21]

Another shock potentially on as well - Olympiakos are losing at home to Maccabi Haifa.

Greek football is in the biggest freefall of any nation in Europe.

 

[Saoirse]

Greek football is in the biggest freefall of any nation in Europe.

Belarus is giving it some stiff competition lower down the echelons. But Olypiakos 0-4 Maccabi Haifa?! Blimey!

 

[Marty]

Turkish fans have always been "hard" but this isn't hard. It's disgusting.

 

[Saoirse]

Third Qualifying Round ties:

Champions Path:
Maccabi Haifa vs Apollon Limassol
Qarabağ vs Ferencváros
Ludogorets Razgrad vs Dinamo Zagreb
Sheriff Tiraspol vs Viktoria Plzeň
Bodø/Glimt vs Žalgiris
Red Star Belgrade vs Pyunik

League Path:
Monaco vs PSV Eindhoven
Dynamo Kyiv vs Sturm Graz
Union Saint-Gilloise vs Rangers
Benfica vs Midtjylland

First legs on the 2nd/3rd of August, all second legs on the 9th. Winners progress to their respective path's Playoff. Champions Path losers go into the Europa League playoff, League Path losers go directly into the Europa League Group Stage.

Rangers very much benefitting from being seeded, and an intersting draw. Union Saint-Gilloise are a Belgian side who were newly promoted last season, back in the top flight for the first time in nearly 50 years, and miraculously topped the table by 5 points after the 34 game regular season. In the Belgian league though, points are then halved and the division splits into groups - the Top 4 play each other an extra time at home and away, and at the end of this Club Brugge had overtaken them to win the league. This still left USG 2nd, and in Champions League Qualifying in their first ever season of European football. They're owned by Tony Bloom, who you may know as the Chairman at Brighton, and have a young team including one more veteran Englishman, Christian Burgess, formerly of Peterborough and Portsmouth. Additionally, they've just signed 23 year old Ross Sykes from Accrington Stanley, trying to make the step up from League One to the Champions League!

Elsewhere, the big tie of the round is Monaco vs PSV, two sides who would both clearly hope to make the Group Stage.

 

[Marty]

The playoff draw was made today

Champions path​

Qarabağ FK (AZE)/Ferencvárosi TC (HUN) vs FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)/FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR)/FK Žalgiris Vilnius (LTU) vs PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL)/GNK Dinamo (CRO)
Maccabi Haifa FC (ISR)/Apollon Limassol FC (CYP) vs FK Crvena zvezda (SRB)/FC Pyunik (ARM)
F.C. Copenhagen (DEN) vs Trabzonspor AŞ (TUR)

League path​

FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)/SK Sturm Graz (AUT) vs SL Benfica (POR)/FC Midtjylland (DEN)
Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)/Rangers FC (SCO) vs AS Monaco FC (FRA)/PSV Eindhoven (NED)

The six winners qualify for the group stage. Rangers will have their work cut out.

 

[TheChosenOne]

I'll be honest - I have never heard of the Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise who are playing Rangers tonight.

 

[Saoirse]

I'll be honest - I have never heard of the Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise who are playing Rangers tonight.

Don't think anyone had, at least until the back end of last season! But certainly can't write off a team that performed so well domestically.

 

[Marty]

I'll be honest - I have never heard of the Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise who are playing Rangers tonight.

They were an old historic club that won lots of titles pre-WW2 but faded into obscurity. It's as if Huddersfield got bought up and made the CL in the first season after promotion.

 

[Saoirse]

Ranger's dominant in the first ten. PSV 1-0 up in Monaco.

 

[Saoirse]

Wow, USG lead Rangers!