Ajax to face PAOK Thessaloniki in Champions League qualifiers
Last season's semi-finalist, Ajax, will begin their campaign in the Champions League against the unbeaten Greek league winner, PAOK Thessaloniki, in the third qualifying round, following the draw held on Monday.
The four-time European champion Ajax started in the second preliminary round last July and was just a minute away from reaching the final of the tournament but was eliminated by Tottenham's stoppage-time goal in May.
As the winner of the Dutch league, Ajax starts in a later qualifying round on August 6 or 7 with the first leg taking place in Greece, and needs to defeat two opponents instead of three to join the group stage of the top 32 European teams.
Ajax was the top seeded team, and PAOK was the top non-seeded team after being the only unbeaten winner in Europe last season. Both are in the champions route.
Porto, a two-time European champion, will face Krasnodar - where Ecuadorian Cristian Ramirez plays - in another qualifying route for teams that finished in second or third place in the highest-ranked leagues.
Similarly, Dynamo Kiev will face Club Brugge, and LASK from Austria will collide with either PSV Eindhoven, the European champion of 1988, or Basel.
The first leg matches will be played on August 6 and 7, with the return matches on the 13th.
The second qualifying round still has to be played. It starts on Tuesday and ends on July 31. (D)