UEFA Champions League play-offs tie by tie
Friday, August 5, 2016
Article summary
APOEL and København meet in the play-offs for the second time, while Monaco encounter Spanish opposition at this stage once again – UEFA.com analyses the ten ties.
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League route
Steaua București (ROU) v Manchester City (ENG) – 16 & 24 August
• Steaua defender Gabriel Tamaş was on the losing side in all three of his appearances against Manchester City during his spell at West Bromwich Albion from January 2010 to September 2013.
• In their one previous meeting with Romanian opposition, Manchester City beat FC Timişoara 3-0 on aggregate in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League play-offs. Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, David Silva and Yaya Touré featured in the tie. Steaua's Alexandru Bourceanu started both legs for Timişoara.
Porto (POR) v Roma (ITA) – 17 & 23 August
• Porto posted a 2-0 aggregate win when they encountered Roma in the 1981/82 European Cup Winners' Cup second round.
• Roma's Paraguayan international Juan Iturbe made six league outings, all as a substitute, for Porto between December 2011 and August 2013.
Ajax (NED) v Rostov (RUS) – 16 & 24 August
• Ajax have twice faced Russian opponents – on both occasions Spartak Moskva – and suffered defeats in all four games. The Amsterdammers succumbed 3-1 at home and 1-0 away in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup quarter-finals and were ousted 4-0 on aggregate in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League round of 16.
Young Boys (SUI) v Borussia Mönchengladbach (GER) – 16 & 24 August
• Mönchengladbach have two Swiss internationals on their books in goalkeeper Yann Sommer and defender Nico Elvedi.
Villarreal (ESP) v Monaco (FRA) – 17 & 23 August
• It is 11 years since Villarreal last took on a Ligue 1 team. In the 2005/06, the Yellow Submarine drew 0-0 away to LOSC and prevailed 1-0 at El Madrigal.
• Monaco will tackle Spanish Liga opposition in the play-offs for the second successive campaign. Twelve months ago Leonardo Jardim's men were edged out 4-3 on aggregate by Valencia.
Champions route
Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL) v Viktoria Plzeň (CZE) – 17 & 23 August
• Ludogorets overcame Plzeň 2-1 in a friendly on 22 January.
Celtic (SCO) v Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR) – 17 & 23 August
• Celtic boast Israeli talent in the form of midfielder Nir Bitton.
FC København (DEN) v APOEL (CYP) – 16 & 24 August
• APOEL eliminated a København side coached then, as now, by Ståle Solbakken at this stage of the 2009/10 competition.
• The Cypriot outfit overturned a 1-0 loss in Denmark with a 3-1 victory in the Nicosia return.
Dundalk (IRL) v Legia Warszawa (POL) – 17 & 23 August
• Legia Warszawa won 5-0 on their sole previous visit to Ireland, knocking out Saint Patrick's Athletic in the second leg of a 2014/15 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round tie. The teams had drawn 1-1 a week earlier.
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) v Salzburg (AUT) – 16 & 24 August
• Salzburg are unbeaten in four matches against Dinamo.
• The Austrian club prevailed 4-2 and 5-1 when these sides went head-to-head in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage, Jonathan Soriano hitting a hat-trick in the latter fixture. Five years before, in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, Salzburg edged through 3-2 on aggregate.