Ajax dealt tough draw to reach group stage

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 entr y to the groups despite winning t he Erediv isie for the 34th time and coming within seconds of reaching t he f inal 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 Ju v e nt us and midf i e l de r 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 August 20/21 and 27/28.

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 a nd Wolverha mpton Wanderers wi l l meet up i n t he pick of t he playof f t ies if t hey get past Belarusian side Sha k ht yor a nd A r menia ns Py unik, respectively.

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.

Tor i no mea nwh i le, who a lso f inished sevent h but in Serie A, qualified for the comp e t i t i on a f t e r AC Mi l a n accepted in June a voluntar y ban from European footba ll for t he coming season over breaches of financial fair play r ules.

Roma t o ok f i f t h-pl a c e d Mila n’s place i n t he g roup stages, opening up a prelimina r y rou nd spot for Walter M a z z a r r i ’s s i d e , w h o 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.