The potential opponents of OL in the third qualifying round of the Champions League are all known: it will either be the Belgians of Union Saint-Gilloise (2nd in their league), the Czechs of Sparta Prague (2nd in their league) or the Dutch of Nec Nijmegen (3rd in their league).
The fourth team will be either the Austrians of Sturm Graz, or one of their opponents in the second qualifying round: the Scots of Hearts of Midlothian or the Polish runner-up Gornik Zabrze.
The draw will take place on July 20 and the first leg of the third round will be on August 4 or 5, with the second leg on the 11th.
OL is officially in the first seed position. Aston Villa kept their fourth place in the Premier League after the last matchday (victory against Manchester City). The Villans, who won the Europa League against Freiburg, thus free up a direct qualifying spot in the Champions League group stage in favor of Sporting Lisbon, who was just ahead of Lyon in the UEFA coefficient ranking.
If Lyon make it through the third qualifying round, they will not be able to face Bodo Glimt, the second seed. The playoff match, the final step before the group stage, would be against either Olympiacos or Fenerbahce, provided that these teams also advance past the third round.
In case of elimination, OL will be relegated to the Europa League.
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