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It's Champions League day with the return of the third qualifying round. The first and second legs of the playoffs are scheduled for August 20-21 and August 27-28, respectively, with the final draw for the new Champions League format taking place on August 29.
Ten matches are lined up for the return of the qualifying round, featuring teams with significant pedigrees. Among all the encounters, the highlight is the Istanbul clash between Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahçe and Lille. The French side won the first leg 2-1, but the Special One, a master of such matches, is determined to overturn the result with the help of Edin Dzeko, who continues to prove himself as one of the best strikers around, even in Turkey.
The match between the Dutch side Twente and Salzburg also promises to be a tight contest. As with the previous game, the tie starts from a 2-1 advantage for the away team. However, the Austrians are favored, given their greater experience in Europe's top club competition.
Another balanced match is set to take place in Glasgow, where Rangers will host Dynamo Kyiv. The first leg ended 1-1, making it hard to predict which side will advance. It wouldn't be surprising if the Rangers-Dynamo Kyiv match extends beyond 90 minutes into extra time and penalties.
The encounter between Greece's PAOK Thessaloniki and Sweden's Malmö also looks evenly matched. The first leg ended 2-2, but the Greeks will have the advantage of their passionate home crowd.
In other matches, Slovan Bratislava travels to Cyprus to face APOEL, holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg. The odds are in favor of Norway's Bodø/Glimt, who secured a 1-0 away win against Poland's Jagiellonia. The Bulgarian side Ludogorets is also in a strong position after their 2-1 away victory over Qarabağ, the champions of Azerbaijan.
More balanced contests include the clash between Romania's Steaua Bucharest and the Czech Republic's Sparta Prague, which ended 1-1 in the first leg, and the match between Union Saint-Gilloise and Slavia Prague, where the Czech team holds a 3-1 advantage from the first match but will still face a tough challenge against the Belgian side.
