UEFA Champions League 2026-27: Previews and Lineups

The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League will feature several rounds before one club is crowned champion. The first, second, and third qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League have been completed. Meanwhile, several notable clubs played with mixed results in the previous qualifying rounds. The Champions League will feature several notable teams competing in the season’s play-off round.

The first legs of the Champions League play-off will feature Levski Sofia against AEK and Dinamo Zagreb against Viking. In addition, Fenerbahçe will face OL, while NEC will take on Bodø/Glimt in this week’s fixtures. Celtic will face LASK, H. Beer-Sheva will take on Sabah, and Slovan Bratislava will face Celje in the playoff round.

Previous Champions League Challengers

Sabah achieved a stunning victory with a strong aggregate score

Sabah faced AGF in the second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round. Veljko Simić, Steve Solvet, Joy-Lance Mickels, and Xander Severina each scored for Sabah. Meanwhile, AGF was unable to score throughout the match. Sabah ultimately triumphed over AGF 4-0 and will strive to maintain their winning streak.

H. Beer-Sheva Claims a Comeback Victory

In their most recent fixture, H. Beer-Sheva defeated Crvena Zvezda. H. Beer-Sheva took control of the match as Igor Zlatanović and Javon East each scored a goal. Meanwhile, Crvena Zvezda failed to score in the first half. Mohammad Abu Fani received a red card during the match. Consequently, H. Beer-Sheva claimed victory and will maintain its winning form.

Ararat-Armenia’s Recent Setback Against Former Rivals

Ararat-Armenia played against Celje in their most recent game. Both teams failed to score in the first half. Meanwhile, Yaya Dukuly and Benjamin Verbič each scored for their respective teams. Ararat-Armenia came under pressure after Celje opened the scoring. However, the club continued to push for an equalizer throughout the match. In the end, Ararat-Armenia suffered a defeat against Celje.

Upcoming Games Schedule: Dates and Venues

Fixtures	Dates	Time Zone ET	Time Zone PT	Time Zone IST	Venues
Levski Sofia vs AEK	August 18, 2026 (Tuesday)	03:00 p.m. ET	12:00 p.m. PT	12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)	Georgi Asparuhov, Sofia.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking	August 18, 2026 (Tuesday)	03:00 p.m. ET	12:00 p.m. PT	12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)	Maksimir, Zagreb.
Fenerbahçe vs OL	August 18, 2026 (Tuesday)	03:00 p.m. ET	12:00 p.m. PT	12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)	Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul.
NEC vs Bodø/Glimt	August 19, 2026 (Wednesday)	03:00 p.m. ET	12:00 p.m. PT	12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)	Goffertstadion, Nijmegen.
Celtic vs LASK	August 19, 2026 (Wednesday)	03:00 p.m. ET	12:00 p.m. PT	12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)	Celtic Park, Glasgow.
H. Beer-Sheva vs Sabah	August 19, 2026 (Wednesday)	03:00 p.m. ET	12:00 p.m. PT	12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)	Turner Stadium, Be’er Sheva.
Slovan Bratislava vs Celje	August 19, 2026 (Wednesday)	03:00 p.m. ET	12:00 p.m. PT	12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)	Tehelné Pole, Bratislava.

Selected Teams Overviews

Levski Sofia vs AEK

Date: August 18, 2026 (Tuesday)

Time: 03:00 p.m. ET |12:00 p.m. PT| 12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)

Venue: Georgi Asparuhov, Sofia.

Projected Lineups for Levski Sofia

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Ognian Vladimirov, Martin Lukov, and Svetoslav Vutsov
Defenders	Hevertton Santos, Maicon, Christian Makoun, Álex Centelles, Aldair Neves, Nikola Serafimov, Stoyan Dobrev, Anton Todorov Manov, Hristo Argirov, and Kristian Dimitrov
Midfielders	Asen Mitkov, Gašper Trdin, Mehdi Moubarik, Mazire Soula, Ivo Motev, Serginho, Radostin Stoilov, Sasho Grancharov, and Akram Bouras
Forwards	Reinaldo, Juan Perea, Armstrong Oko-Flex, Everton Bala, David Kusso, Stivan Stoyanchov, and Adrian Raychev

Projected Lineups for AEK

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Thomas Strakosha and Alberto Brignoli
Defenders	Harold Moukoudi, Stavros Pilios, Lazaros Rota, Martin Georgiev, Domagoj Vida, and Filipe Relvas
Midfielders	Kaan Kairinen, Mijat Gaćinović, Lovro Majer, Dimitrios Kaloskamis, Răzvan Marin, and Petros Mantalos
Forwards	Derek Kutesa, Luka Jović, Oleksandr Zubkov, Aboubakary Koita, Hakim Sahabo, Barnabás Varga, and Zini

Previous Games

In their most recent match, Levski Sofia faced Kairat. Levski Sofia took control of the match as Reinaldo scored the only goal. Meanwhile, Kairat controlled possession but failed to score throughout the match. In the end, Levski Sofia defeated Kairat and will aim to continue its winning form in the next fixture.

Conversely, AEK defeated Athens Kallithea in a club friendly match. AEK has produced standout performances this year. The club has experienced inconsistent recent form, but its overall performances have been impressive. In addition, AEK has shown consistent form away from home. In the upcoming match, AEK will provide a tough challenge to Levski Sofia at home.

The Pick: Levski Sofia

Dinamo Zagreb vs Viking

Date: August 18, 2026 (Tuesday)

Time: 03:00 p.m. ET |12:00 p.m. PT| 12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)

Venue: Maksimir, Zagreb.

Projected Lineups for Dinamo Zagreb

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Danijel Zagorac, Ivan Nevistić, and Ivan Filipović
Defenders	Bruno Goda, Stjepan Radeljić, Paul Tabinas, Niko Galešić, Matteo Perez Vinlöf, Moris Valinčić, Scott McKenna, Noa Mikić, Sergi Domínguez, Marko Zebić, and Krešimir Radoš
Midfielders	Luka Stojković, Miha Zajc, Gabriel Vidović, Josip Mišić, Sven Šunta, and Patrik Horvat
Forwards	Dion Beljo, Arbër Hoxha, Smail Prevljak, Mateo Lisica, Fran Topić, Lukas Kačavenda, and Mislav Oršić

Projected Lineups for Viking

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Arild Østbø, Erlend Jacobsen, and Ľubomír Belko
Defenders	Herman Haugen, Viljar Vevatne, Martin Roseth, Henrik Heggheim, Gianni Stensness, Sondre Bjørshol, Anders Bærtelsen, Henrik Falchener, Jesper Daland, and Kristoffer Haugen
Midfielders	Kristoffer Askildsen, Joe Bell, Zlatko Tripić, Ruben Alte, and Amin Cosic
Forwards	Nicholas D´Agostino, Romano Postema, Veton Berisha, Peter Christiansen, Simen Kvia-Egeskog, and Kelvin Ansah Frimpong

Previous Games

Dinamo Zagreb has shown strong home form this year. They have recently deployed a 4-3-3 formation and are on a winning run. The team is expected to retain the same formation in its upcoming fixtures. Dinamo Zagreb has produced standout performances in domestic competition. Additionally, the club will look to carry its domestic form into the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. Aleks Stojakovic is injured and remains a doubt for the match. Dinamo Zagreb will have a home advantage and will look to grab a win in the upcoming match.

In contrast, Viking currently sits second in the Eliteserien with 40 points. In their recent five games, they have recorded three consecutive wins, one draw, and one loss. Nevertheless, the club will look to carry its current form into the 2026-27 Champions League. However, Viking’s away form has been poor and will need to improve in the coming games.

The Pick: Dinamo Zagreb

Celtic vs LASK

Date: August 19, 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 03:00 p.m. ET |12:00 p.m. PT| 12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)

Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow.

Projected Lineups for Celtic

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Viljami Sinisalo and Ross Doohan
Defenders	Liam Scales, Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Dane Murray, Anthony Ralston, and Kieran Tierney
Midfielders	Hyunjun Yang, Luke McCowan, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mika Baur, Arne Engels, Callum McGregor, and James Forrest
Forwards	Benjamin Nygren, Kasper Høgh, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Camilo Duran, Sebastian Tounekti, Callum Osmand, Haissem Hassan, Johnny Kenny, and Adam Montgomery

Projected Lineups for LASK

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Lukas Jungwirth, Tobias Schützenauer, and Fabian Schillinger
Defenders	George Bello, Miguel Freckleton, Xavier Mbuyamba, Art Smakaj, Andres Andrade, Kasper Poul Mølgaard Jørgensen, Manoël Verhaeghe, Yvan Dibango, Joao Viktor Tornich, Amin Abdullahi Ibrahim, and Cheikne Kebe
Midfielders	Melayro Bogarde, Kryštof Daněk, Robert Ljubičić, Alessandro Schöpf, Christoph Lang, Florian Flecker, and Sascha Horvath
Forwards	Samuel Adeniran and Moses Usor

Previous Games

Celtic faced Dundee United in the Scottish League Cup game. Auston Trusty, Camilo Durán, Sebastian Tounekti, and Benjamin Nygren each scored a goal for Celtic. Meanwhile, Dundee United failed to score throughout the match. In the end, Celtic claimed a 4-0 win over Dundee United. Celtic are in strong recent form and will look to maintain their momentum in the upcoming matches.

By contrast, LASK played against Fenerbahçe in their most recent game. LASK has shown inconsistent away form. In addition, LASK has struggled defensively and will need to improve in its further games. They are strong in the domestic league but in poor form in the UEFA Champions League. LASK will look to improve its performance, but Celtic’s home advantage could give the hosts an edge in the forthcoming game.

The Pick: Celtic

NEC vs Bodø/Glimt

Date: August 19, 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 03:00 p.m. ET |12:00 p.m. PT|12:30 a.m. IST (Next Day)

Venue: Goffertstadion, Nijmegen.

Projected Lineups for NEC

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Gonzalo Crettaz, Freek Entius, Joep Geneste, and Martijn Overmars
Defenders	Brayann Pereira, Philippe Sandler, Thomas Ouwejan, Bram Nuytinck, Tobias Storm, Deveron Fonville, Merijn Van De Wiel, Yassin Moslih, and Clement Bischoff
Midfielders	Darko Nejašmić, Isak Hansen-Aarøen, Willum Thor Willumsson, Noe Lebreton, Kodai Sano, and Jamiro Monteiro
Forwards	Emre Mor, Tjaronn Chery, Dušan Tadić, Kaj Sierhuis, Sami Ouaissa, Bryan Linssen, and Kevin Kers

Projected Lineups for Bodø/Glimt

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Julian Faye Lund, Nikita Haikin, Martin Lund Andersen, and Isak Sjong
Defenders	Villads Nielsen, Odin Bjørtuft, Haitam Aleesami, Jostein Gundersen, and Fredrik André Bjørkan
Midfielders	Patrick Berg, Sondre Auklend, Ulrik Saltnes, Joshua Kitolano, Sondre Brunstad Fet, Fredrik Sjøvold, Magnus Riisnæs, Håkon Evjen, Kasper Solhaug, Levi Monsen Yeboah, and August Mikkelsen
Forwards	Andreas Helmersen, Jens Petter Hauge, Ole Didrik Blomberg, Ola Brynhildsen, Daniel Bassi, Isak Dybvik Määttä, Hindrin Najah Chooly, and Mikkel Bro Hansen

Previous Games

In their latest fixtures, NEC has displayed poor form in both domestic and European competitions. The team will look to improve their defensive and attacking performances. Several players have been added to NEC’s injury list. Sami Ouaissa was injured with a hamstring injury, while Yassin Moslih was injured for an unspecified reason.

Bodø/Glimt currently leads the Eliteserien competition. Furthermore, Bodø/Glimt has suffered a few injuries, and the remaining squad will aim to deliver strong performances. Bodø/Glimt will look to maintain its winning streak and add another victory in the upcoming matches.

The Pick: Bodø/Glimt

Conclusion

The 2026-27 Champions League will feature intense battles between the competing clubs. In the highly anticipated fixtures, the clubs will compete to claim a place in the next stage of the Champions League. Key matches include Dinamo Zagreb facing Viking at Maksimir on August 18. The losing clubs will have another opportunity to battle in this weekend’s fixtures. Fans will be eager to see how their favorite clubs perform and how the results could affect their domestic campaigns.