Champions League play-off round: Celtic's 7,000-mile trip, Robbie Keane the manager and Mourinho under pressure

New York Times

2 days ago

The bright lights — and not to mention the millions on offer in the UEFA Champions League proper are now tantalisingly within reach for a handful of teams across Europe. Before that, though, is the final hurdle: the play-offs.
Fourteen teams remain and will face off across two legs over the next week to decide the final seven spots in the main league-phase draw on August 28.
The Athletic is on hand to help you navigate the at-times weird and wonderful world of Champions League qualifying with a quick guide to the storylines that matter, but first…
Fourteen clubs remain in this phase of qualifying but the process began last month, with 53 teams hoping to make it to the big time. Qualifying is separated into two parts; the Champions Path — for the various 2024-25 season's domestic league winners who did not warrant advancing directly to the main competition — and a League Path for runners-up in such countries, and sides who finished third and fourth.
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Ten teams make it to this play-off stage from the Champions Path, including Celtic, Copenhagen and Robbie Keane-managed Ferencvaros, more of whom later. Four teams come from the League Path; Rangers, Fenerbahce, Benfica and Club Brugge.
The seven winners of these remaining ties will progress to the 36-team Champions League proper, while the seven losers drop into the Europa League equivalent.
Unbeaten in the league and two games away from Champions League football: not a bad start at Rangers for new manager Russell Martin, right? Those supporters who booed at Ibrox last week may want some context added.
Former Southampton boss Martin has endured a stuttering start in Glasgow since being appointed this summer, the positivity of a superb 3-0 first-leg win over Viktoria Plzen in the previous round undermined by a lucky escape in the reverse fixture. Jack Butland's goal lived a charmed life throughout a flattering 2-1 loss in the Czech Republic, just three days after fans had voiced their displeasure during a 1-1 home draw against Dundee.
Already four points adrift of Celtic following that second successive league draw, an unconvincing 4-2 cup victory over third-tier Alloa Athletic at Ibrox on Saturday did little to improve the mood ahead of Club Brugge's arrival, barring an encouraging debut from Spurs loanee Mikey Moore.
Champions League regulars Brugge, who knocked out Atalanta before being dispatched by Aston Villa in last year's knockout phase, represent Rangers' sternest test yet, with the Belgian side winning home and away to see off Austria's Red Bull Salzburg, who competed in the recent Club World Cup, in the previous qualifying round.
Having made nine Champions League appearances as a player, Robbie Keane is chasing his debut in the tournament as a coach as his Ferencvaros side host reigning Azerbaijani champions Qarabag.
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The former Spurs and Liverpool striker assumed the Hungarian club's hotseat in January, having won the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv last year and made a seamless transition, steering the Budapest club to their 36th – and seventh consecutive – league title.
Eliminated by the aforementioned Viktoria Plzen in last season's Europa League knockout phase, the Irishman has led Ferencvaros to within touching distance of a first Champions League outing since 2020-21 after wins over Noah and Ludogorets of Armenia and Bulgaria, respectively.
Keane may want to tone down the celebrations should his team progress, though, lest he want more stitches. The 44-year-old sustained a head injury while lifting the trophy during Ferencvaros' title celebrations in May, he explained in a subsequent Instagram post.
A post shared by Robert Keane (@robbiekeane)
It's a high-stakes clash for Jose Mourinho against Benfica, old adversaries from his Portuguese homeland (though also the club who gave him first first crack at senior management in the 2000-01 season), with the former Porto boss under heightened pressure to end Fenerbahce's 17-year wait to play Champions League football again.
Mourinho arrived in Istanbul last June to rapturous fanfare but ended his debut season in front of an almost empty – and those who did turn up were largely disgruntled – Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium as his side were comfortably beaten to the title by city rivals Galatasaray, the sting of a fourth consecutive runners-up finish sharpened by earlier-than-hoped-for exits from the Europa League (against Rangers on penalties in the round of 16) and the Turkish Cup (to Galatasaray in the quarter-finals).
It set the tone for a characteristically chaotic Mourinho campaign, multiple touchline bans and a nose-pinching scandal included, that had been set up ahead of their eventual Champions League qualifying-round defeat to Lille, when the new coach explained progression would be difficult because he had eight players who had been at last summer's European Championship.
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There can be no such excuses this time. Summer loan acquisition Jhon Duran scored as a 5-2 win over Feyenoord secured a meeting with Portuguese league runners-up Benfica, who saw off Nice to move within two matches of a 15th Champions League appearance in 16 seasons.
Spare a thought for the anxious flyers among the Celtic ensemble, preparing for a roughly 11,384-kilometre (7,073-mile) round trip to Kazakh champions Kairat Almaty.
Building a healthy cushion to take on board that gruelling journey to the second leg next week could prove pivotal as Brendan Rodgers looks to steer the Glasgow giants into a fourth consecutive Champions League appearance.
Having fallen mere seconds short of a famous win at Bayern Munich in last year's knockout phase — a 94th-minute Alphonso Davies winner ending their dreams of progression — the Scottish champions are high on confidence following a perfect start to the season.
League victories over St Mirren and Aberdeen were followed up with a 4-1 win over Falkirk in the Premier Sports Cup on Friday, yet in Kairat they face a side already 20 games into their league campaign.
While their hopes of reeling in leaders Astana were dealt a heavy blow when they squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at home to Yelimay Semey on Saturday, a penalty shootout triumph over Slovakia's Slovan Bratislava in the previous qualifying round showed the Kazakh outfit are not to be underestimated as they chase a fairytale Champions League debut.
Dates for first and second legs
Crvena Zvezda v Pafos: August 19 and 26
Bodø/Glimt v Sturm Graz: August 20 and 26
Basel v Copenhagen: August 20 and 27
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