Champions League qualification

The Champions League qualification final round has started, and it has given us a slightly better idea of who will qualify for the group stages of the best football competition in the world.

Results

• Cluj 0-1 Slavia
• Apoel 0-0 Ajax
• Lask 0-1 Brugge
• Young Boys 2-2 Red Star Belgrade
• Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 Rosenborg
• Olympiakos 4-0 Krasnador

These were the results from the first leg matches. Slavia and Brugge will be happy to come away from 0-1 wins which will give them quite an advantage coming into the second leg at home. Last season’s semi-finalists, Ajax did not play so well in their match against Apoel but will be confident that they can beat them at the Johan Cruyff Arena. Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade played out the most entertaining match from the round with a 2-2 scoreline that will slightly favour Red Star. Olympiakos are all but through after their empathic performance, whereas Dinamo Zagreb are also in a healthy position.

The second leg will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday next week and stakes are high to win those matches. The Champions League is the most lucrative football competition in the world and everyone wants to qualify for it. It gives you the opportunity to compete with the best clubs in Europe as well as earn some more revenue due to all the benefits that come with qualifying for the Champions League and bring in better players.

The teams that do not make it through this round then end up qualifying for the Europe League group stage. This is something that all the teams competing will want to avoid as the Champions League qualification is much more rewarding for the club.

After the second leg matches the Champions League groups will be made on Friday morning.