Three teams qualified for the UCL through the playoffs: Kairat Almaty, Pafos, and Qarabağ, which are quite unfamiliar to me. But they managed to qualify, so I think they are indeed great. This means that they deserve their place in the UCL. But I hope they don't just become a source of points for the big teams that are regulars in the UCL. Here is a list of the opponents for these three teams.
| Kairat Almaty | - Real Madrid
- Inter Milan
- Club Brugge
- Arsenal
- Olympiakos
- Sporting CP
- Pafos
- Copenhagen
|
| Pafos | - Bayern München
- Chelsea
- Villarreal
- Juventus
- Slavia Praha
- Olympiakos
- Monaco
- Kairat Almaty
|
| Qarabağ | - Napoli
- Athletic Club Bilbao
- Chelsea
- Liverpool
- Eintracht Frankfurt
- Benfica
- Ajax
- Copenhagen
|
What do you think? I think the chances of passing the preliminary round are very slim and seem impossible.
All three teams put up a great performance. I've been following Qarabağ's performance in the last 3-4 years, and they've been on a steady rise. Bodo could also be added to this list.
Pafos was a surprise for me. Almaty knocked Celtic out of the tournament, and they came back.
Pafos' matches seem a bit easier, but you never know in football. I'm particularly expecting great success from Bodo/Glimt. They might not make the top 8, but I think they'll finish in the top 24.