Co-efficient Corner: The Play-off draws

With the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Men’s Club Competitions about to get underway, the participants cast one eye over to the to today’s draw, where they found who they’d play in the next round, the Play-off. They were joined in the hat by 14 teams starting out on their qualifying journey, where one tie will determine their European fate.

Champions League

Starting with the draw for the Champions’ Path: Celtic were one of four teams to find out their first opponents of the new season, and they start against Austrian Champions LASK, who also start their European journey in this round.

In the League Path, there were no new starters: everyone taking part in the Play-off will have won at least one previous qualifying tie.

Europa League

The Play-off sees the Europa League Champions’ Path and Main Path reconverge. The teams advancing from the Third Qualifying Round are joined by losing teams from the Champions’ Path of the Champions League and five new teams.

Heart of Midlothian discovered their happy path if they manage to beat Benfica: they’ll play whoever loses between AGF Aarhus and Sabah.

Meanwhile, there’s a potential North Channel Derby on the cards: Rangers and Larne will face each other if they triumph against Jagiellonia Białystok and Iberia 1999 respectively.

Shamrock Rovers will play Lillestrøm if they beat Egnatia Rrogozhinë.

Conference League

Proceedings were rounded off as always with the Conference League draw.

Starting with the Champions’ Path, Shamrock Rovers and Larne discovered their consolation prizes: the League of Ireland Champions could face the defeated team between KuPS Kuopio and Universitatea Craiova, will the NIFL Champions would face the losers between Lincoln Red Imps and Omonia Nicosia.

In the Main Path, the representatives from the Big 5 leagues found out their only opponents in the qualifiers, and Brighton and Hove Albion can look forward to a tie against either CFR Cluj or Tromsø.

From Scotland, four teams discovered their prospective opponents. Rangers will face Jablonec or Rigas FS if they don’t beat Jagiellonia, while Hearts will face Paide Linnameeskond or Rapid Vienna if they don’t beat Benfica. After their Champions League tie against Sturm Graz, the Jambos will be hoping for better luck against Austrian opposition this time around.

For Hibernian and Motherwell, their Conference League draw is very much Plan A but the draw produced two tough ties: the Hibees face IFK Gothenburg or AA Gent if they beat Shkëndija Tetovo. As for Well, they’ll be up against last season’s Europa League Runners-up Freiburg if they beat HJK Helsinki.

From the League of Ireland, Shelbourne have to get past Ajax, but if they were to pull that off, they’d face Noah or Sion. Bohemians will face Rijeka or Ilves Tampere if they overcome Midtjylland.

This week’s matches

This is in fact the busiest week of European Qualifiers across four competitions. Things slow down a little (but only a little) in the Men’s Club Competitions: there are only(!) 53 matches this week. However, the Women’s Champions League Second Qualifying Round adds another 44 games that total for 97 matches overall — the biggest week yet.

There are 11 Mini-Tournaments taking place in the UWCL: seven in the Champions’ Path, with SWPL Champions Heart of Midlothian travelling to Denmark. They’ll start with a Semi-Final against Lithuania’s Gintra Šiauliai, with either hosts HB Køge or Riga FC to follow.

In the League Path, Rangers are hosting, with Slavia Prague their opponents in the Semi-Final, and either Ajax or Brøndby on Saturday.

This time, there’s a little more wriggle room for participants: teams in fourth place will exit European competition altogether; but teams who win their third-place play-off will drop down into the First Qualifying Round of the Women’s Europa Cup. As for winning Semi-Finalists, runners-up still drop into the second-tier tournament but get a bye to the Second Qualifying Round. And winners, of course, advance to the Third Qualifying Round of the UWCL.

The stakes remain high, and I’ll be here on Sunday to review the lot!