UEFA Champions League 2018-2019 qualifiers

Play-off Round (if top seeds progress)

Seeded:

Red Bull Salzburg
Ludogorets Razgrad
PSV
Celtic

Unseeded

Legia Warszawa
Astana
Qarabağ
Young Boys

 

It actually got like that a few years ago. Iraklis, Aris and AEK were all relegated due to debts.. At least AEK and Aris are now back.. However the structure of the game in Greece is now better. AEK have a very rich owner - exceptionally rich in fact as do PAOK. To put it into context - PAOK used to be owned by a guy who owned a radio station.. and AEK was run by an idiot lawyer as they emerged from the Enic stranglehold.

The next phase of Greek football will be the new stadia. AEK is currently building their new stadium and it will be a gem. Here is a drone view of the works from today:

 

Might not be as easy as it seems though, possibility that Beer Sheva or Midtjyelland will be there who would probably be tougher games than Astana and Qarabag and maybe even Legia.

 

I guess it depends on your definition of stakes. To me it equates with gambling/money so thay is what I took from his statement, not in a footballing sense.

 

AEK os a toughie but so are Rosenborg, so I'm not going ti be naive enough to look further than that. Either way its gonna be an exciting few weeks

 

Also forgot to add - I make Celtic marginal favourites due to how many of last year's team AEK has sold and also due to the lack of competitive games they will have had. The tie will live and die most probably with the game in the OAKA.

 

It’s going to be tough if we get there. Thankfully, only one of Astana, Dinamo Zagreb, Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Midtjylland will make it to the play-off round.

 

I’ve just realised that Basel’s title run has come to an end; Young Boys must have something about them.

 

Let's get past Rosenborg first. They showed enough last year to indicate that it won't be easy.

If we start predicting the next round before it's even come about we're no better than the English in respecting our opponents.

 

It is not disrespectful to state a fact.

 

Aye, usually Alashkert, Rosenborg and AEK would have been the 3 qualifiers as well and if it was it would probably be our toughest route to the Group Stage so far and yet this year we have another round to go after it

Exciting games though and will be a great benefit to us if we make the Groups this year since it'll likely as tough as it will ever get unless we end up unseeded and one year end up with 3 teams like then and then an Ajax or Salzburg as the play-off.

Would still rather have drawn like TNS, HJK Helsinki and Red Star who would have essentially been byes into the play-off round though.

 

You're spot on the money, I never meant it in a footballing sense.

 

The playoff round looks potentially ok for me..

 

No, but it's disrespectful when you look at the match thread and see people saying that we're going to dish out a pumping. Last year was far from comfortable and they're the champions of their country.

It's the sort of arrogance we hate when it's coming from someone else.

 

People were winding the Rosenborg fan up; I doubt anyone seriously believes that this is going to be a walkover.

Talk of who we might meet in later rounds is perfectly natural. Rosenborg fans will be envisioning a path to the competition proper too.

 

Think we can expect to see a signing or 2 before the AEK game assuming we are in a favourable position after the 1st leg on Wednesday

 

By the time the next round starts were comfortably up to speed. 5 games in, were more likely needing a break than being rusty 5 games into a season and a team should be firing on all cylinders.

 

Don’t see us signing anyone until closer to the deadline and even then that will depend on if we are in Europe or not more departing than incoming I feel in the next few weeks.