It’s Arsene Wenger vs the Wolly with the Brolly aka Steve McLaren as Arsenal will take on former the England boss and his FC Twente team in the Champions League third qualifying round. The ties will be played on August 12/13 and August 26/27. This will be a tough match up FC Twente as Arsenal were Champions League finalists in 2006 and quarter-finalists last season.
- Buy FC Twente – Arsenal Tickets 1st Leg – August 12th
- Buy Arsenal – FC Twente Tickets 2nd Leg – August 26th
Five time winners Liverpool got an easier draw against Belgian champions Standard Liege while last season’s UEFA Cup finalists Rangers will face either Aalborg, champions of Denmark, or Bosnian side Modrica if they can get a result in Lithuania next week against FBK Kaunas.
- Buy Standard – Liverpool Tickets 1st Leg – August 13th
- Buy Liverpool – Standard Tickets 2nd Leg – August 27th
The big name in the 3rd round is undoubtedly the match up between Schalke against Atletico Madrid. Schalke reached the final 16 last season, while Atletico Madrid are seeking a return to the Champions League for the first time since the 1996/97 season after a fourth-place finish in La Liga last season.
Some of the other big names teams involved in Champions League qualifying include Italian giants Juventus who will face either Tampere of Finland or Slovakia’s Artmedia Bratislava if they are get back into the group stage after an absence of two seasons while Barcelona take on either Beitar Jerusalem or Wisla Krakow.Turkish champions Galatasaray were drawn against former European Cup winners Steaua Bucharest while Olympique Marseille, who lifted the trophy in 1993, will play either Norway’s Brann Bergen or Ventspils of Latvia.
The first legs will be played on August 12-13 with the ties concluding on August 26-27. The group stage begins on September 16.
Champions League third qualifying round
Anorthosis/Rapid Vienna v Olympiacos
Vitoria Guimaraes v Gothenburg/Basel
hakhtar Donetsk v Domzale/Dinamo Zagreb
Schalke v Atletico Madrid
Aalborg/Modrica v Rangers/Kaunas
Barcelona v Beitar Jerusalem/Wisla Krakow
Levski Sofia v Anderlecht/BATE Borisov
Standard Liege v Liverpool
Inter Baku/Partizan v Fenerbahce/MTK Budapest
FC Twente v Arsenal
Spartak Moscow v Drogheda/Dynamo Kiev
Juventus v Tampere/Artmedia
Brann/Ventspils v Marseille
Fiorentina v Slavia Prague
Galatasaray v Steaua Bucharest
Panathinaikos/Dinamo Tbilisi v Sheriff/Sparta Prague
