Meet the Champions League play-off entrants
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
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Who are the five teams entering the UEFA Champions League in the play-offs? With the draw on Friday, UEFA.com assesses their strengths, weaknesses and main men.
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Manchester City (ENG)
How they qualified: fourth in the Premier League
Last season:UEFA Champions League semi-finals
Coach: Josep Guardiola
Key players: Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Sergio Agüero
Pivotal summer signing: İlkay Gündoğan/Leroy Sané
Strengths: the Guardiola effect, pace, goals throughout the side
Possible weaknesses: overreliance on Kompany, adapting to a new style
Mönchengladbach (GER)
How they qualified: fourth in the Bundesliga
Last season:UEFA Champions League group stage
Coach: André Schubert
Key players: Yann Sommer, Christoph Kramer, Lars Stindl, Raffael
Pivotal summer signing: Christoph Kramer
Strengths: strong attack, always able to score goals, pace
Possible weaknesses: can Kramer replace Granit Xhaka in the heart of midfield? Several new defenders means the back line could need time to click
Porto (POR)
How they qualified: third in the Portuguese Liga
Last season:UEFA Europa League last 32 (after transferring from UEFA Champions League group stage)
Coach: Nuno Espírito Santo
Key players: Iker Casillas, Miguel Layún, Danilo Pereira, Héctor Herrera, Yacine Brahimi
Pivotal summer signing: Felipe
Strengths: creativity in midfield and out wide, promising pre-season for young striker André Silva
Possible weaknesses: adapting to a new coach, defensive instability, lack of a reliable goalscorer (André Silva is still very inexperienced)
Roma (ITA)
How they qualified: third in Serie A
Last season:UEFA Champions League round of 16
Coach: Luciano Spalletti
Key players: Daniele De Rossi, Radja Nainggolan, Alessandro Florenzi, Francesco Totti
Pivotal summer signing: Gerson/Juan Jesus
Strengths: Spalletti has a clean slate, quick and attacking wingers, the return of Kevin Strootman
Possible weaknesses: injuries in defence (Antonio Rüdiger and Mário Rui both out for several months), poor form of Edin Džeko last term, Totti turning 40
Villarreal (ESP)
How they qualified: fourth in the Spanish Liga
Last season:UEFA Europa League semi-finals
Coach: Marcelino García Toral
Key players: Bruno Soriano, Mario Gaspar, Jonathon dos Santos, Mateo Musacchio
Pivotal summer signing: Denis Cheryshev
Strengths: mean defence, speed on the break
Possible weaknesses: loss of key men Eric Bailly and Denis Suárez, competing on all fronts may take its toll on relatively thin squad