Fourth in Ligue 1 after being routed by Lens on Sunday evening (0-4), OL will compete in the third preliminary round of the Champions League…
OL already knows its potential opponents for the Champions League third preliminary round. The team led by Paulo Fonseca, which lost in the last two Ligue 1 matches (2-1 against Toulouse and 0-4 against Lens) finished fourth in the French championship and did not qualify directly for the European competitions. Therefore, they will need to prepare to pass through at least two rounds to hope to play in the group stage of the next edition of the Champions League.
An Aston Villa victory in the Europa League could change things for OL
They will first have to play the third preliminary round scheduled for August 4 or 5 (first leg) and then on the 11th (second leg); and then a possible final playoff, with matches set for August 18-19 and 25-26. While the draw for the C1 third qualifying round will take place on July 20, OL could face Fenerbahçe, the second in the Turkish Championship who will need to pass the second preliminary round to meet the Rhône club. Sparta Prague, second in the Czech Championship, or NEC Nijmegen, third in the Netherlands, are also potential opponents for OL, as well as the second team in the Belgian Championship if it is Union Saint-Gilloise, who seems likely to finish behind Club Brugge (who would be a top seed and thus could not face OL if they finish second in the Pro League). Heart of Midlothian, second in Scotland, and the Polish runners-up, engaged in the second preliminary round, are also potential opponents for OL.
If OL manages to overcome this initial obstacle, their status as a top seed will also protect them in the playoffs from facing Sporting, potentially facing Bodø/Glimt or Olympiacos. In the event of an Aston Villa victory in the Europa League (final against Fribourg on Wednesday), Sporting CP will be directly qualified for the Champions League, which would change the qualification structure. In this case, OL would be the number one seed in the qualifiers. As a result, Fenerbahçe would move to the top seed bracket, becoming an impossible opponent for OL as early as the third round of qualification.
