Return legs of the third qualification round

The new season is setting its pace as Premier League clubs have already gotten in action, Madrid rivals Real and Atletico face each other in the UEFA Super Cup, while 22 clubs are still fighting for the remaining 6 Champions League spots. Tomorrow ten of them are going to join PSV and Young Boys in the play-off stage after return legs of the 3rd qualification round. What teams have better chances of making past this stage?

Dinamo Zagreb vs. Astana (2-0 on aggregate)

Dinamo Zagreb earned a precious 2-0 win on a tough journey to Kazakhstan last week and now seem to be clear favorites ahead of the return leg at Maksimir Stadium in their home city despite selling a number of their top players, including centre back Filip Benkovic, who completed a move to Premier League outfit Leicester City, Ante Coric, who joined Roma, and Borna Sosa, who left for Stuttgart. Dinamo Zagreb will face the Swiss outfit Young Boys should they make it to the next round.

BATE Borisov vs. Qarabag (1-0 on aggregate)

Belarusian champions BATE Borisov snatched a narrow win in Baku last week and should complete progression to the play-off stage tomorrow at home as they have a lot more experience in the tournament, having previously made it to the group stage on five occasions. However, if they do eliminate the Azerbaijanian side, they will face the toughest possible opponent in the Netherlands champions PSV.

Vidi vs. Malmo (1-1 on aggregate)

The spirited Hungarian champions survived in Sweden, earning a 1-1 draw, and are now hungry for their biggest achievement on European stage.

Dynamo Kyiv vs. Slavia Praha (1-1 on aggregate)

Favorites Dynamo Kyiv hoped the goal, scored on minutes 82, would be enough to secure an away win in the Czech Republic. However, the hosts equalized late into stoppage time from the penalty spot to keep their hopes alive. Yet, it feels like Ukrainian powerhouse simply have more quality to make it past this stage of qualification.

Ajax vs. Standard Liege (2-2 on aggregate)

Mighty Ajax failed to keep their two-goal lead after the first half in Belgium and let Standard get back into game in stoppage time. A 2-2 draw on the road is still a positive result, but the Dutch side should not underestimate their opponents at Amsterdam Arena tomorrow night to reach the play-off.

Spartak Trnava vs. Crvena Zvezda (1-1 on aggregate)

Two goals netted in the space of one minute made the final score line in Belgrade last week. The return leg in Slovakia is probably going to be as tight.

Fenerbahce vs. Benfica (0-1 on aggregate)

The biggest clash of the 3rd qualification round will continue in Istanbul. Benfica snatched a narrow win in Lisbon courtesy of Franco Cervi second half strike. It is never easy to play in Turkey but a 1-0 score at home is a solid lead in Champions League knockout stages.

Spartak Moskva vs. PAOK (2-3 on aggregate)

PAOK continue to impress this summer in Europe’s main club competition. They outclassed mighty Basel 5-1 in the previous round and turned into qualification favorites. Last week they were two goals down twenty minutes into the match against Russian side Spartak Moskva. Yet somehow they managed to turn the game around and win by 3-2. The return leg in Moscow will be a tough challenge but who knows, maybe the Greek side will be able to hold on to the winning score.

Shkendija vs. Salzburg (0-3 on aggregate)

This is the only leg which is all but over after the first leg. Red Bul Salzburg were unstoppable in Austria despite being reduced to 10 men with 10 minutes to play and will hardly give up a three-goal lead in Macedonia.

AEK Athens vs. Celtic (1-1 on aggregate)

Surprisingly, Celtic failed to break 10-man AEK Athens at Celtic Park last week despite enjoying numerical advantage for over half an hour. Brendan Rodgers is up to a difficult task of beating AEK in a hostile environment. They were probably getting ready for this encounter over the weekend as they lost to Hearts in domestic Premiership.