Twente gets tough draw in Champions League qualifiers; Ajax potentially faces Greek side

The draw for the next qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League,UEFA Conference League was made on Monday. FC Twente will face Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League. If Ajax progresses to the next round, they will face either Greek side Panathinaikos or Botev Plovdiv from Bulgaria in the Europa League.

The other draw in the Conference League is for Go Ahead Eagles, who will face either St Mirren from Scotland or Valor from Iceland in the next round if they get past SK Brann.

Twente will be firm underdogs for their tie with Red Bull Salzburg. The Austrians are regulars in the Champions League, having played in the group stage for the last five seasons and progressing to the last 16 in the 2021-22 season.

Last season was the first time in 10 years that they did not win the Austrian league. They will be managed by Pepijn Lijnders this season. The Dutch coach has been assistant manager at Liverpool for the last six years and will be taking his first managerial job since leaving NEC Nijmegen in 2018.

FC Twente finished third last season, manager Joseph Oosting’s first season in charge of the club. Twente last played in the Champions League in the 2011-12 season, when they lost to Benfica in the playoff.

The Enschede club has one more qualifying round after the tie against Salzburg to make the Champions League group stage. If they lose the tie, they will play in the Europa League this season.

Ajax faces Vojvodina in their first competitive match of the season on Thursday night to try to qualify for the UEFA Europa League. They have been given a tough draw for the next round with a potential tie against Greek side Panathinaikos. Panathinaikos is one of the biggest clubs in Greece, having won the Greek title 20 times.

The Amsterdammers are heavy favorites to beat Vojvodina, Serbia's fourth-best-ranked team. If they lose this tie, they will drop to the Conference League, where they will face either NK Maribor from Slovenia or Universitatea Craiova from Romania.