UEFA Champions League 2026-27: Play-off Games and Previews

The Champions League features a notable squad of clubs in the final play-off round. The participating clubs have adapted through their respective domestic competitions. Each and every head coach will plan to secure another victory in the upcoming Champions League play-off.

The highly anticipated second legs of the play-off round are approaching. Key fixtures include Sabah taking on H. Beer-Sheva and Bodø/Glimt meeting NEC Nijmegen in the second leg of the play-off.

Previous European Encounters

Dinamo Zagreb Draws With Eliteserien Opposition

Dinamo Zagreb faced Viking in the UEFA Champions League fixture. Dinamo Zagreb took control of the match through Dion Drena Beljo, and Mateo Lisica scored. Peter Christiansen and Zlatko Tripić each scored a goal for Viking. In the end, Dinamo Zagreb drew 2-2 with Viking in their most recent game.

Fenerbahçe’s European Form Ahead of the Play-Off

Fenerbahçe played out a 2-2 draw with Olympique Lyonnais (OL) in the first leg of the play-off. Both teams failed to score throughout the first half. After half-time, Lois Openda scored a solo goal for OL. Under pressure, Mason Greenwood found the net for Fenerbahçe. Both teams remain level on aggregate heading into the second leg.

H. Beer-Sheva’s Recent Resurgence

H. Beer-Sheva defeated Sabah in their latest game. Veljko Simić scored early for Sabah. Javon East and Igor Zlatanović found the net for H. Beer-Sheva. Later, Sabah struggled in both offense and defense. As a result, H. Beer-Sheva will aim to remain a standout performer throughout the European tournament.

Matches Schedule: Timings and Teams

Fixtures	Dates	Time Zone ET	Time Zone PT	Time Zone IST	Locations
Sabah vs H. Beer-Sheva	August 25, 2026 (Tuesday)	12:45 PM	09:45 AM	10:15 PM	Bank Respublika Arena, Masazir.
Bodø/Glimt vs NEC	August 25, 2026 (Tuesday)	03:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next Day)	Aspmyra Stadion, Norway.
LASK vs Celtic	August 25, 2026 (Tuesday)	03:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next Day)	Raiffeisen Arena, Linz.
AEK vs Levski Sofia	August 26, 2026 (Wednesday)	03:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next Day)	OPAP Arena, Nea Filadelfeia.
OL vs Fenerbahçe	August 26, 2026 (Wednesday)	03:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next Day)	Groupama Stadium, Décines-Charpieu.
Viking vs Dinamo Zagreb	August 26, 2026 (Wednesday)	03:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next Day)	Viking Stadion, Stavanger.
Celje vs Slovan Bratislava	August 26, 2026 (Wednesday)	03:00 PM	12:00 PM	12:30 AM (Next Day)	Stadion Z’dežele, Celje.

Top Selected Teams Previews and Lineups

Bodø/Glimt vs NEC

Date: August 25, 2026 (Tuesday)

Time: 03:00 PM ET|12:00 PM PT|12:30 AM IST (Next Day)

Venue: Aspmyra Stadion, Norway.

Predicted 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, Joel Mvuka, Daniel Bassi, Isak Dybvik Määttä, Hindrin Najah Chooly, and Mikkel Bro Hansen

Predicted Lineups for NEC

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Gonzalo Crettaz, Nikolas Polster, Freek Entius, Joep Geneste, and Martijn Overmars
Defenders	Brayann Pereira, Thomas Ouwejan, Bram Nuytinck, Tobias Storm, Deveron Fonville, Merijn Van De Wiel, Yassin Moslih, Almugera Kabar, and Gabriel Brás
Midfielders	Darko Nejašmić, Isak Hansen-Aarøen, Willum Thor Willumsson, Noe Lebreton, and Jamiro Monteiro
Forwards	Emre Mor, Tjaronn Chery, Dušan Tadić, Kaj Sierhuis, Adam Tahaui, Bryan Linssen, Vito van Crooij, Kevin Kers, and Clement Bischoff

Club Analysis

Bodø/Glimt played Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Both teams failed to score throughout the first half. After half-time, Ole Didrik Blomberg, Jens Petter Hauge, and Andreas Helmersen each scored for Bodø/Glimt. Meanwhile, Guilherme Smith and Mohammed Gadafi Fuseini each found the net for Union. Later, Kamiel Van de Perre received a red card for Union. Nevertheless, Bodø/Glimt defeated Union and will look to capitalize on its winning streak in the upcoming match.

In contrast, NEC Nijmegen faced Telstar in the Eredivisie fixture. Patrick Brouwer and Rui Mendes found the net for Telstar. Ultimately, NEC suffered a defeat against Telstar. They have struggled for consistency in their recent matches.

The Pick: Bodø/Glimt

LASK vs Celtic

Date: August 25, 2026 (Tuesday)

Time: 03:00 PM ET|12:00 PM PT|12:30 AM IST (Next Day)

Venue: Raiffeisen Arena, Linz.

Predicted Lineups for LASK

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Lukas Jungwirth, Tobias Schützenauer, Christof Katzmayr, and Fabian Schillinger
Defenders	George Bello, Miguel Freckleton, Xavier Mbuyamba, Art Smakaj, Andres Andrade, Kasper Jørgensen, Manoël Verhaeghe, Yvan Dibango, Jakob Wansch, Ryan Rodriguez German, Luca Ortner, Alemão, Armin Midzic, Jonas Ilk, Amin Abdullahi Ibrahim, Alan Wimmer, and Cheikne Kebe
Midfielders	Melayro Bogarde, Kryštof Daněk, Robert Ljubičić, Alessandro Schöpf, Christoph Lang, Florian Flecker, Sascha Horvath, and Tarik Brkic
Forwards	Samuel Adeniran, Moses Usor, Matthias Hartl, and Paul Krapf

Predicted Lineups for Celtic

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Viljami Sinisalo, Ross Doohan, Aidan Rice, Marcus Gill, Corey Shaw, and Cameron Patterson
Defenders	Liam Scales, Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Samuel Isiguzo, Hayden Borland, Dane Murray, Samuel Sedwell, Colby Donovan, Joshua Mulgrew, Anthony Ralston, Michael Charlton, Joseph Haney, Kieran Tierney, Lassina Hassan Dembele, and Aodhan Taylor
Midfielders	Hyunjun Yang, Luke McCowan, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mika Baur, Sean McArdle, Thomas Hatton, Rhys Dargie, Callum McGregor, Cole Crawford, Owen Hartington, James Forrest, Francis Turley, Kayden Daly, Conor Daly, Liam Kennedy, Nathan Meechan, Rocco Di Giacomo, and Mark Marian Cingel
Forwards	Benjamin Nygren, Kasper Høgh, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Camilo Durán, Sebastian Tounekti, Callum Osmand, Haissem Hassan, Johnny Kenny, Calvin Keenan, Emmanuel Obidiwe, Lucas Clearie, and Ezekiel Molife

Club Analysis

LASK defeated Grazer AK 3-0 in the Austrian Bundesliga. LASK recorded a large number of shots and shots on target. They led with strong possession and earned stable corners throughout the match. Grazer AK has struggled to create shots and shots on target. They recorded low possession and struggled with their offside trap. LASK has a home advantage and will aim to clinch another victory in the upcoming match.

Similarly, Celtic faced Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup final. In that game, Celtic recorded a low number of shots but remained effective with their shots on target. Dunfermline Athletic recorded a large number of shots but had fewer shots on target. They showed low possession throughout the match. In the end, Celtic defeated Dunfermline Athletic 3-1.

The Pick: LASK

AEK vs Levski Sofia

Date: August 26, 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 03:00 PM ET|12:00 PM PT|12:30 AM IST (Next Day)

Venue: OPAP Arena, Nea Filadelfeia.

Predicted Lineups for AEK

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

Predicted 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

Club Analysis

AEK Athens has displayed offensive form and rapid transitions. Additionally, the forwards and wingers apply early pressure to force errors in the opposition half. Luka Jović, Aboubakary Koïta, and Zini have shown slightly weaker performances in their recent games. They will aim to improve their transitional play in the upcoming games. Their 4-3-3 formation shifts into a 4-2-4 during attacking phases. The club will improve its wide counterattacks in the upcoming games. AEK has a home advantage and will aim to clinch a victory in the forthcoming fixture.

Conversely, Levski Sofia has struggled to create attacking form. Furthermore, they have played consistently in their domestic league. In their last five games, they recorded five consecutive wins, with zero losses or draws.

The Pick: AEK

Celje vs Slovan Bratislava

Date: August 26, 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 03:00 PM ET|12:00 PM PT|12:30 AM IST (Next Day)

Venue: Stadion Z’dežele, Celje.

Predicted Lineups for Celje

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Žan-Luk Leban, Luka Kolar, and Žiga Frelih
Defenders	Pijus Širvys, Damjan Vukliševič, Artemijus Tutyškinas, Alpha Diounkou, Leonardo Koutris, and Matic Ivanšek
Midfielders	Darko Hrka, Benjamin Verbič, Mario Kvesić, Svit Sešlar, Milot Avdyli, Papa Daniel, Andrej Kotnik, Mark Zabukovnik, Veton Tusha, Ivan Ćalušić, and Rudi Požeg Vancaš
Forwards	Dejan Suhovršnik, Armandas Kučys, Yaya Dukuly, and Matej Poplatnik

Predicted Lineups for Slovan Bratislava

Position	Players
Goalkeepers	Aleksandar Popović, Dávid Balog, Matúš Macík, and Dominik Takáč
Defenders	Samuel Kozlovský, Kevin Wimmer, Kenan Bajrić, Svetozar Marković, Matúš Tomáško, Robert Tománek, Cesar Blackman, and Sandro Cruz
Midfielders	Peter Pokorný, Rahim Ibrahim, Artur Gajdoš, Tigran Barseghyan, Alen Mustafić, Leo Hofstädter, Cristian Martínez, Danylo Ihnatenko, and Daiki Matsuoka
Forwards	Nino Marcelli, Roman Čerepkai, Alasana Yirajang, Manasse Kianga, Suleiman Camara, Alexej Maroš, and Andraž Šporar

Club Analysis

In their latest game, Celje faced Slovan Bratislava. Celje recorded a low number of shots but a steady number of shots on target. They had higher possession throughout the match. They earned a few corners and a large number of offsides. Slovan Bratislava recorded a high number of shots but few shots on target. They had low possession throughout the match and recorded no offsides. In the end, Celje drew 1-1 against Slovan Bratislava in the first leg of the play-off. Celje also showed strong attacking and defensive performances and will face Slovan Bratislava in the upcoming second leg.

Slovan Bratislava played against Mjällby in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Suleiman Camara and Alasana Yirajang each found the net for Slovan Bratislava. Mjällby managed only a few shots and shots on target. Ultimately, Slovan Bratislava defeated Mjällby.

The Pick: Celje

Final Thoughts

In the 2026-27 Champions League, several matchups will take place across the midweek fixtures. A key matchup sees AEK taking on Levski Sofia on August 26 at OPAP Arena, Nea Filadelfeia. The remaining clubs will get another chance to claim their place in the upcoming play-off round. The play-off round will determine the league phase. Which teams will miss out on the Champions League league phase and drop into the UEFA Europa League group stage?