Benfica or Fenerbahce await PAOK in Champions League playoffs

Benfica or Fenerbahce will await PAOK in the Champions League playoffs if the Dikefalos tou Vorra advances past Spartak Moscow. 

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PAOK will matchup against Spartak Moscow in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round after eliminating Basel 5:1 on aggregate (2:1, 0:3) in the second qualifying round. On Monday, PAOK were scheduled to find out their possible opponents in the playoffs of Champions League qualifying (final qualifying round), however UEFA informed the Thessalonikis that they will play the winner of the Benfica/Fenerbahce matchup, who will compete in the third qualifying round. 

Eight teams remain in the UEFA Champions League Non-Champions qualifying route including: PAOK/Spartak Moscow, Ajax/Standard Liege, Benfica/Fenerbahce, and Dynamo Kiev/Slavia Praha. In Monday’s draw for the Champions League playoffs, the pairings of Benfica/Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kiev/Slavia Praha were set to be seeded in the draw while PAOK/Spartak Moscow, Ajax/Standard Liege were set to be unseeded. 

The possible pairing of a Russian side (Spartak Moscow) and a Ukraine side (Dynamo Kiev) in the playoffs has forced UEFA to assign the pairings in the playoffs as opposed to drawing them at random. Russia and Ukraine have undergone many political battles over the years and UEFA would like to avoid a clash between clubs from these two countries. 

As a result, UEFA informed PAOK and Spartak Moscow that they will play the winner of Benfica/Fenerbahce in the Champions League playoffs, avoiding a possible pairing between Dynamo Kiev and Spartak Moscow. The draw will take place as planned on Monday, however the only thing to be determined in the draw are the order games (i.e. who will play the first leg at home).

If PAOK advance past Spartak Moscow, they will be handed their third and hardest test in Champions League qualifying with Benfica or Fenerbahce. A reminder, if PAOK are eliminated by Spartak Moscow or Benfica/Fenerbahce they will be given an automatic place in the UEFA Europa League group stages (no additional qualifying is needed).
 

by Sarantos Kaperonis

Image Source: to10.gr

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