After yesterday's qualifying matches, only five unknown teams are left in the Champions League, who will join the teams already qualified for the group stage. Last night at 21:45 the last five matches of the Champions League final qualifying round will start. Eurofootball.com provides you with a review of these matches.
"APOEL" - "Copenhagen"
First leg result 0-1
In the first leg match in Denmark, the hosts controlled the game and secured a victory against the opponents from Cyprus. Although they won with just one goal scored, "Copenhagen" should not be too happy.
"APOEL" plays much better at home, and this season both "TNS" and "Rosenborg" teams were defeated 3-0 after unsuccessful matches at their home. Although the champions of Cyprus return from Denmark without a scored goal and suffer a defeat, their chances should not be underestimated. The "APOEL" team, which demonstrates excellent results at home, still has good chances to defeat the opponents with the required margin and make it to the group stage battles in the last moment.
"Gladbach" - "Young Boys"
First leg result 3-1
3 shots into the goal area - 3 goals. That was the statistics that "Gladbach" players could boast in the first leg match. Although the first match was not easy for them, and the Swiss team had double the shots on their goal, three scored goals and a two-goal difference in the home match should be the result that this German club wanted.
After the unsuccessful first leg match, "Young Boys" took out their anger in the Swiss championship, where they scored seven goals against "Lausanne" and defeated the opponents 7-2. "Young Boys" started the season showing surprisingly good form, but reducing the two-goal deficit in Germany can be a tough task for them.
"Rostov" - "Ajax"
First leg result 1-1
"Ajax" does not show the desired results at the beginning of the season. In the Eredivisie championship, they earned just one point in the last two rounds, and they also face challenges in the Champions League. After struggling to defeat "PAOK" in the third round, in the first leg match against "Rostov," they also had problems and ended the match in a draw.
Although "Ajax" dominated the field and clearly led in ball control (78% to 22%), shots (22 to 6), and corner kicks (9 to 2), the match ended in a draw 1-1. The "Rostov" team, which surprises everyone for the second year in a row regardless of a positive result away and is still not considered a favorite in the series, will not make it easy for the disappointing "Ajax" team at the beginning of the season, and getting a win in Russia will not be easy for them.
"Manchester City" - "Steaua"
First leg result 5-0
Pep Guardiola's team already solved everything in the first leg match in Romania, after which there was no intrigue left about who will advance to the next stage. "City" crushed the opponents 5-0, and the result could have been even bigger - Sergio Aguero missed a penalty twice in the first match.
In the second leg match, the "citizens" can afford to give fewer chances to players who receive more and experiment, as "Steaua" is certainly not the team that can overcome the five-goal deficit in the match against the "Manchester City" team.
"Salzburg" - "Dinamo"
First leg result 1-1
The match will be broadcast live on Viasat Sport Baltic.
In the first leg match in Croatia between these two teams, both sides tried to play attacking football, but out of 36 attempts, only 8 shots were on target, and viewers saw two goals, after which the teams travel to Austria with a 1-1 tie.
Although before the return match "Salzburg" is considered to have a greater chance to advance to the next stage, Zagreb's "Dinamo" players head to the opponents' fortress seeking victory. No one would be surprised if the ticket to the group stage owner in this pair would be revealed in the very last moments of the game, so it is definitely worth watching this clash.
