Champions League lineup Confirmed

The lineup of matches for the 3rd Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League was confirmed last night, with 14 clubs from all around Europe booking their spot in the final qualifying round. There were some surprises in the 2nd Round, as 2007/2008 UEFA Cup finalist Rangers FC were knocked out by Lithuanian club FBK Kaunas. There was no upset in Panathinaikos’ tie with Dinamo Tibilsi; the Greek team cruised to a 3-0 aggregate victory.

The 14 second round winners are joined by 18 clubs yet to make their debut in Europe this year. Some of Europe’s biggest names will begin their European campaigns in this round.

From the Greek perspective, both Olympiacos and Panathinaikos will repay a visit to past opponents. Olympiacos, requiring to qualify for the first time in 10 years, face a rematch of their last qualification match. The Greek Champions will travel to Cyprus to face Anorthosis Famagusta, in an epic affair. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos will travel to the Czech Republic for an encounter with Sparta Prague. Their last encounter came in the second group stage of the 2001/2002 edition of the Champions League.

2005/2006 Champions League winners, FC Barcelona, face a test from Polish outfit Wisla Krakow. The tie of the round will most definitely be the Schalke – Atlético Madrid match-up. More drama will be expected at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, when FC Twente manager Steven McClaren returns to England for the first time since being sacked as England boss. Speaking of returns, Juventus will bid to return to Europe’s biggest stage when they meet Slovakian side FC Artmedia Petržalka.

New-look Liverpool faces a Belgian visit from Standard de Liège, while Fiorentina welcome Czech competition in Slavia Praha. Turkish clubs also face stiff competition; Fenerbahçe SK takes on Serbian Champions FK Partizan. Their Turkish counterparts and league winners Galatasaray will welcome FC Steaua Bucureşti. Olympique de Marseille will bid to reach the group stage once again but so will their Norwegian opponents SK Brann.

The first leg of the qualifiers is scheduled for the 12th/13th of August; with all but one being played on the latter. The return leg is scheduled for two weeks later, with the 26th/27th of August being the dates. Both Greek clubs will be on the road for their respective first legs.

Anorthosis Famagusta FC (Cyprus) v Olympiacos CFP (Greece)

Vitória SC (Portugal) v FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland)

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) v NK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

FC Schalke 04 (Germany) v Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain)

Aalborg BK (Denmark) v FBK Kaunas (Lithuania)

FC Barcelona (Spain) v Wisła Kraków (Poland)

PFC Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) v FC BATE Borisov (Belarus)

R. Standard de Liège (Belgium) v Liverpool FC (England)

FK Partizan (Serbia) v Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey)

FC Twente (Netherlands) v Arsenal FC (England)

FC Spartak Moskva (Russia) v FC Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)

Juventus (Italy) v FC Artmedia Petržalka (Slovakia)

SK Brann (Norway) v Olympique de Marseille (France)

ACF Fiorentina (Italy) v SK Slavia Praha (Czech Republic)

Galatasaray AS (Turkey) v FC Steaua Bucureşti (Romania)

Panathinaikos FC (Greece) v AC Sparta Praha (Czech Republic)