UCL Qualification Round 2: Which Teams Will Progress?

While the just-concluded Champions League season was still on, the qualification process for the new season had already started.

17 games were played in a one-off manner, no thanks to the pandemic. And that’s how the rest of the qualifiers will continue till what started with 43 teams will be left with only teams ready to play in the UCL group stages.

In the first round, Celtic, Molde and Qarabag were the biggest winners, thrashing their opponents by as much as six goals. With only two of the 17 games finishing with less than one goal scored, there’s a lot at stake for the teams involved.

Going into the second round, it’s the first time some teams will be playing. Sides like AZ Alkmaar, PAOK, Besiktas and Rapid Vienna start their journey to qualify for the UCL group stages in this round. With 13 games to be played, what clashes are there to look out for?

1. Suduva vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv

The Lithuanians and the Isrealis will fight it out for a spot in the next round of UCL qualification. Both sides play in leagues in which action has resumed and are thereby match active for this crunch clash.

Heading into this fixture, both sides have only lost once in their last five games respectively. What’s more? Both sides have scored an average of one goal in their last five games.

2. Qarabag vs. Sheriff Tiraspol

Both sides have only played a combined five games in the month of August. However, a lack of match-fitness has not stopped them from winning all five games. In fact, only once did any of these two sides drop points in their last 10 games, combined.

Two of the last five meetings between both sides has ended in a draw, with Qarabag winning two of the other three. When it comes to goals between these two however, only once has a meeting between both sides ended with both teams scoring.

3. CFR Cluj vs. Dinamo Zagreb

CFR Cluj are on a six-game winning streak. For Dinamo Zagreb, it’s a five-game unbeaten streak, featuring four wins and a draw, scoring 12 goals in the process. The Croatians must now face their Romanian opponents for a chance to feature in the semi-finals of the UCL qualifiers.

If it’s anything to go by, Zagreb will be fueled by the result of their last game against Cluj, which they won by four unreplied goals.

There’ll be no second legs for these fixtures. Teams must go big or go home. Which clubs will you be rooting for – and back on your bet slips? Drop your comments below and join the conversation.