10 Key Storylines in Champions League Play-off Round of August 18
The draw is set for the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League play-off round. Twenty teams remain in contention for the group stage's final 10 spots, with the two-legged ties scheduled for Aug. 18-19 and 25-26.
Three-time winners Manchester United will try to reclaim a spot in the Champions League group stage after one year away. Meanwhile, Lazio-Bayer Leverkusen and Valencia-Monaco will provide marquee matchups for fans of Europe's big five leagues.
The losers of all 10 ties will drop to the Europa League group stage.
In the following sides, Bleacher Report outlines 10 key storylines to follow during the play-off round.
Click here for the full draw.
United Aiming for European Return
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Manchester United missed out on European competition last season following their disappointing seventh-place Premier League finish under (mostly) David Moyes in 2013-14. The Red Devils rebounded with new manager Louis van Gaal last season, finishing fourth to claim a spot in the Champions League play-off round.
Having the Champions League without a club like United was an unfamiliar experience for UEFA and football fans around the world. United have won the competition three times, most recently in 2008, and are one of Europe's most famous and successful clubs.
Van Gaal invested heavily in his squad again this summer, signing forward Memphis Depay, midfielders Bastian Schweinsteigher and Morgan Schneiderlin, defender Matteo Darmian and goalkeeper Sergio Romero. The Red Devils opened the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur and will fully expect to advance to the Champions League group stage.
Their opponents in the play-off round will be Belgian side Club Brugge, who defeated Panathinaikos in the third qualifying round. Following a 2-1 loss in Greece in the first leg, Brugge scored three times in the second half of the second leg to advance.
Speaking to the club's official website, Van Gaal said:
"The club and myself have great history in the Champions League and although it is not ideal to have to qualify, we are looking forward to the challenge ahead against Club Brugge. This is the first time the two clubs have played against each other. It will be an interesting tie, Club Brugge are a good side, they reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League and finished second in the Belgian League last season.
It will be nice to go back to Belgium, I have good memories of my time playing there for Antwerp. In fact my debut for Antwerp was against Club Brugge and during my time as manager at Barcelona we played them in the group stages. Over two legs we have to be confident against any team, we are determined to progress in the competition.
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United have never played Club Brugge in UEFA competition, but the Red Devils have won four of their six games against Belgian teams, per UEFA.com.
5 Teams for Spain?
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If Valencia advance past AS Monaco in the play-off round, Spain would have five teams in this season's Champions League group stage. No nation has ever accomplished that feat.
England could have done so in 2012-13, if circumstances had been different. The previous season, Chelsea had won the Champions League title but failed to qualify via the league after finishing sixth. UEFA regulations at the time stipulated that no national association could have more than four representatives in the group stage, so Chelsea took England's final spot from Tottenham, who had finished fourth in the league the previous spring.
This season, UEFA changed the limit to five teams from a single association, and the new rule could benefit Spain. Sevilla won the Europa League last season and thus qualified for the Champions League group stage. Unai Emery's side did not finish in the top four of the Spanish table, however, meaning four more La Liga teams still had a chance to reach the Champions League group stage.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all qualified for the group stage automatically via their league positions, and Valencia qualified for the play-off round by finishing fourth.
In the play-offs, Valencia will have to defeat Monaco, who finished third last season in Ligue 1. The French side reached the quarterfinals last season before losing to eventual finalists Juventus.
Valencia last participated in the Champions League group stage in 2012-13.
Morrison with Another Chance to Impress with Lazio
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Lazio and Bayer Leverkusen have met twice in the Champions League group stage, with both meetings coming in 1999-2000. Something will have to change when the two clubs face off again in this season's play-off round.
Bayer Leverkusen reached the round of 16 last season and are trying to reach the group stage for the third consecutive season. Lazio have not qualified for the group stage since 2007-08.
Lazio, who lost the Italian Super Cup final to Juventus earlier this month, signed former Manchester United and West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison last February. The 22-year-old's performance in a July friendly left fans in "ecstasy," according to an Italian report cited by Ben Gladwell of ESPN FC.
Morrison showed flashes of his considerable talent during his time in England, but disciplinary issues held him back from making a real impact on the Premier League. Now in Italy with Lazio, he could have another chance to impress on Europe's biggest stage.
Rapid Wien Target Another Upset
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Rapid Wien surprised Ajax in the third qualifying round, beating the four-time Champions League/European Cup winners 5-4 on aggregate. The Austrian side will now hope to upset another European power, Shakhtar Donetsk, in the play-off round.
Shakhtar don't have quite the same history as Ajax, but the Ukrainians have been consistent Champions League participants in recent years, appearing in the group stage five straight years and reaching the knockout phase three times. In addition, Shakhtar won the 2009 UEFA Cup final, beating Werder Bremen in the final.
Rapid have started their domestic season well, topping the table after winning their first four Austrian Bundesliga games by a combined 12-4 score. Through four matches, Shakhtar were second in the Ukrainian Premier League, two points behind Dynamo Kiev.
Sporting, CSKA in Rematch
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Sporting Lisbon and CSKA Moscow met in the 2005 UEFA Cup final, with CSKA winning 3-1 at Sporting's Estadio Jose Alvalade. The match marked the first time a Russian club had won a major European trophy.
Both teams qualified for the Champions League group stage last season but failed to advance to the knockout phase. Sporting finished third in the Portuguese league last season to clinch a spot in the play-off round.
CSKA claimed second place in the Russian Premier League in 2014-15 and had to navigate the third qualifying round to reach this point. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg at home, CSKA won 3-2 at Sparta Praha to advance. Alan Dzagoev scored twice over the two legs.
APOEL Aiming for Another Magical Run
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APOEL were the underdog story of the 2011-12 Champions League, successfully navigating the group stage and round of 16 before finally bowing out against Real Madrid in the quarterfinals. No other team from Cyprus has advanced that far in a major European competition.
This would be APOEL's fourth appearance in the group stage. On all three previous occasions, the Nicosia-based club went through the play-off round.
Standing in their way this season will be Astana, who are trying to make history of their own. No Kazakh side has ever advanced to the Champions League group stage, but Astana are close after topping Maribor in the second qualifying round and HJK in the third.
First Meeting for History-Rich Celtic, Malmo
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Celtic and Malmo both have a rich history in this competition. In 1967, Celtic became the first British side to win the European Cup. Twelve years later, Malmo finished as runners-up.
The two teams, however, have never met in UEFA competition.
Celtic have a strong record against Swedish teams, winning three of four games (the other was a draw) without conceding a single goal. Similarly, Malmo are unbeaten in four matches against Scottish sides (h/t UEFA.com).
Last season, Malmo reached the Champions League group stage for the first time by beating Salzburg in the play-off round. Celtic fell to Maribor at the same stage after being given a second chance in the competition. The Scottish club had previously lost to Legia Warsaw but re-entered the competition after the Polish side were disqualified for using an ineligible player in the second leg.
Familiar Foes
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One might not think Swiss side Basel and Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv would have much of a history together. And yet the two teams played four matches only last season.
The first two came in the Champions League's third qualifying round. The next two came in the Europa League round of 32. Basel won both times, winning the home legs before drawing away.
Basel have become semi-regular Champions League participants in recent seasons, reaching the knockout stage in 2011-12 and 2014-15. Maccabi have reached the group stage only once before, in 2004-05.
History in the Making
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History is on the line when Skenderbeu Korce take on Dinamo Zagreb in the play-off round.
Skenderbeu will become Albania's first participant in the group stage of a major UEFA tournament regardless of the result of this tie. Mirel Josa's men are trying to become the first Albanian side to reach the Champions League group stage. Even if they lose, they would be their country's first representatives in the Europa League.
Dinamo are hoping to return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2012-13. The Croatian side's last appearance in the play-off round ended in defeat to Austria Wien in 2013-14.
BATE Eye Return to Group Stage
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BATE Borisov made waves in the 2012-13 Champions League group stage, beating eventual winners Bayern Munich. It was the Belarusian side's third appearance in the main tournament, and they followed that with another trip to the group stage last season.
In three previous Champions League play-offs, BATE are unbeaten, having won all three ties against Sturm Graz (2011-12), Ironi Kiryat Shmona (2012-13) and Slovan Bratislava (2014-15).
Partizan last took part in the play-off round in 2010-11. That year the Serbian side advanced to the group stage—where they lost all six matches—after drawing twice with Anderlecht and winning a penalty shootout.
