NYON, SWITZERLAND: Last season's Champions League semi-finalists Ajax will take on either Qarabag or Apoel Nicosia in this year's playoff for the group stage if they find a way past PAOK Thessaloniki in the third qualifying round of the showcase European club competition.
The Dutch side do not get automatic entry to the groups despite winning the Eredivisie for the 34th time and coming within seconds of reaching the final of last season's campaign.
It is not the easiest of ties for Ajax who have already lost several players from their exciting young squad, with central defender Matthijs de Ligt at Juventus and midfielder Frenkie de Jong joining Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
First, however, they have to see off PAOK, who went unbeaten on their way to winning the Greek Super League, finishing five points ahead of Olympiakos as they claimed their first league title in more than three decades.
The first leg of the third round in Greece takes place on Tuesday, with the return leg seven days later in Amsterdam. The playoff ties will be held on 20/21 and 27/28 August.
Two-time European champions Porto will face either Istanbul Basaksehir or Olympiakos if they beat Krasnodar, while Slavia Prague await the winners of CFR Cluj and 1967 European champions Celtic.
Red Star Belgrade, who won the competition in 1991, will face Swiss outfit Young Boys if they beat FC Copenhagen.
In the Europa League draw, Torino and Wolverhampton Wanderers will meet up in the pick of the playoff ties if they get past Belarusian side Shakhtyor and Armenians Pyunik.
Flamboyant Wolves are in Europe for the first time in 39 years after finishing seventh in the Premier League in their first year following promotion.
Torino meanwhile, who also finished seventh but in Serie A, qualified for the competition after AC Milan accepted in June a voluntary ban from European football for the coming season over breaches of financial fair play rules.
Roma took fifth-placed Milan's place in the group stages, opening up a preliminary round spot for Walter Mazzarri's side, who impressed in the second half of last season.
The Europa League draw also includes sides from the Champions League draw, who will drop into the lower ranked competition should they lose their third qualifying round matches.
Ajax dealt tricky Champions League playoff after last season's heartache
Ajax dealt tricky Champions League playoff after last season's heartache
- The Dutch side do not get automatic entry to the groups despite winning the Eredivisie for the 34th time
Inter continue Scudetto march after Champions League humbling
- Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan bounced back from Champions League elimination with Saturday’s 2-0 win over Genoa which continued their march toward the Serie A title.
Federico Dimarco’s brilliant volley just after the half-hour mark and Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty were enough for Inter to extend their already huge lead over AC Milan at the top of the table to 13 points.
Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto.
Inter, whose fans unloaded a collection of anti-Milan chants in anticipation of the derby, have dropped just two points in 15 league matches and have been a cut above the rest in Italy’s top flight this season.
Their domestic dominance comes in stark contrast to the humiliating manner in which they were dumped out of the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat to the Norwegian minnows cast doubts over not just the quality of Cristian Chivu’s team but of Italian football as a whole.
There was plenty of quality in Dimarco’s opener however, the Italy full-back beautifully placing a first-time finish from a tight angle after exchanging passes with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Little else happened in a humdrum encounter until Alex Amorim handled a cross from Luis Henrique, whose shot had been tipped onto the post just moments before.
Calhanoglu calmly stroked home the spot-kick on his return to action following niggling muscle problems which have caused him issues since before Christmas, sealing the points for Inter.
Big Rom back
Romelu Lukaku kept Napoli on course for a Champions League spot with a last-gasp winner in the champions’ 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Verona, the Belgium forward’s first goal of the season.
Lukaku forced home Giovane’s cross to snatch the win for third-placed Napoli with the last kick of the game at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Napoli had looked like dropping points in northern Italy when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro levelled Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener in the 65th minute.
But Lukaku, who only played his first game of the season in late January, gave Napoli a huge win with both Como and Atalanta pushing for a top-four placing.
“I was a dead player before coming here,” said Lukaku to DAZN.
“This season has been difficult, but we’ve got to aim high.”
Napoli’s title defense is all but over as they trail Inter by 14 points after an injury-ravaged season.
Napoli were missing key midfielders Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa on Saturday, as well as captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Verona, under interim coach Paolo Sammarco following the sacking of Paolo Zanetti earlier this month, are 10 points from safety after a 12th straight match without a win.
Como, who face Inter in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals on Tuesday, strolled to 3-1 victory over strugglers Lecce to continue their push for a first-ever qualification for European football.
Cesc Fabregas’s team are two points behind Roma, in fourth and Juventus’ opponents on Sunday, and five behind Napoli.
Como are also two points ahead of sixth-placed Juve who face Roma trying to stay in touch with the Champions League places after being eliminated from Europe’s elite club competition by Galatasaray on Wednesday.
