LASK drew the most difficult task on paper in the play-off draw: The athletes will face the loser of the duel between Sparta Prague and FCSB Bucharest. The two clubs face each other in the third qualifying phase of the Champions League. The first leg will take place on August 22 in Linz, followed by an away match a week later.
In the morning, UEFA had reduced the number of possible LASK opponents by dividing them into groups. In addition to Backa Topola (Srb), two winners remained in the third Europa League qualifying round – from the matches between Celje (Slovenia) and Shamrock Rovers (Ireland) and Santa Coloma (Andorra) and FK Riga FS (Latvia). One team was relegated from the Champions League.
Group phase fixed
The play-off winner advances to the new main round. The biggest difference from before is that the groups of four are no longer there. Instead, an overall table of all 36 teams decides who advances. Each team plays eight main round games, two more than in the previous format. The clubs face eight different opponents in four home and four away games. The loser plays in the Conference League, which has six group games.
