A BOLA – Benfica: one of these 7 clubs will be the opponent in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League (Benfica)

Benfica will participate in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, having finished third in the last championship.

The reds are the second team with the best coefficient (58,000) on the non-champions route, just behind Shakhtar (79,000) and ahead of Monaco (36,000) and Celtic (34,000), all of them also seeded and, as such , out of the list of possible opponents in this round.

However, the Scots still have to guarantee their presence, via second qualifying round, and Monaco will be able to qualify directly to the group stage without playing, if Manchester United wins the Europa League. In this scenario, the fifth emblem with the best coefficient, the Genk (30,000), would rise to the top and would no longer be able to rival the reds. This scenario will be confirmed or denied this Wednesday with the finalization of the final in Gdansk, Poland.

The Belgians can become seeded if Villarreal wins the Europa League – which has no direct influence on their status – and if Celtic were eliminated in the previous round. If, for example, Manchester United win the Europa League and Celtic fall, two places will open up between the seeded players, with Genk taking the first and the team with the closest ranking to the other: it will be PSV if you pass the 2nd qualifying round or Rui Vitória’s Spartak, thus avoiding a reunion with Benfica fans.

At this point, the scenario is still broadened and Benfica will then face one of the following seven clubs:

Genk (Belgium, 30,000),

PSV (Netherlands, via 2nd qualifying round, 29,000),

Spartak Moscow (Russia, 18,500),

Sparta Prague (Czech Rep., Via 2nd qualifying round, 17,500),

Rapid Vienna (Austria, via 2nd qualifying round, 17,900),

Galatasaray (Turkey, via 2nd qualifying round, 17,000),

Midtjylland (Denmark, via 2nd qualifying round, 13,500).

As we saw above, three of the six teams that can arrive via the second qualifying round (don’t forget Celtic, who are top seed and not a possible opponent) will stay on the way.

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