Champions League: Play-Off Presents Final Hurdle for League Stage Hopefuls
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
The Champions League dream for the remaining 14 teams reaches the final hurdle as they prepare for the play-off round. As a reminder, the seven winners of each of these ties will join up with the other 29 already-qualified teams to make up the league stage of the UEFA Champions League. The losers will not go home completely empty-handed though, as they will drop down to the league stage of the Europa League.
Let’s take a look at the marquee matches for the UCL play-off:
Rangers vs Club Brugge - Belgians favoured in first leg
- Venue: Ibrox Stadium (Glasgow)
- Date and time: 19 August, 20:00 BST
The Ibrox will be electric on Tuesday evening as Rangers host Club Brugge for the first leg of the Champions League play-off. This is a huge matchup between two clubs who will feel they each deserve a spot in the league stage, but it’s the Belgians that enter Glasgow as the favourites in the first leg. Our experts are predicting both teams to have success on the attacking front. See the full breakdown in our Rangers vs Club Brugge prediction!
Rangers, under new manager Russell Martin, have had a mixed start to the 2025-26 season. In the Scottish Premiership, the Gers have already fallen four points behind rivals Celtic after drawing their opening two matches. These fixtures were sandwiched in between qualifying matches against Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen as Rangers entered the UCL qualifying stage in the second round. In their opening seven competitive encounters, Rangers have lost just once. However, they’ve also drawn four times during that stretch.
Club Brugge produced an impressive showing in the Champions League last season, making it past Atalanta in the knockout round play-off to advance to the round of 16, marking the second time they had achieved that feat in the last three campaigns. They’re the favourites to make it past Rangers, in part thanks to a strong start to the 2025-26 season which has seen them win six of their first seven games.
Fenerbahce vs Benfica - Mourinho takes on compatriots
- Venue: Sukru Saracoglu Stadium (Istanbul)
- Date and time: 20 August 2025, 20:00 BST
Two of the most recognisable clubs that are left in this round, Turkish giants Fenerbahce take on Portuguese powerhouse Benfica in what looks set to be a closely-contested pair of matches. Led by legendary manager Jose Mourinho, the Yellow Canaries will be calling upon his European experience and pedigree to lead them through against a tough opponent. Fenerbahce fans have been made to wait for their return to the big show; it’s now been 16 years since they last competed in the group/league stage of the UEFA Champions League (2008-09 the last season).
The Benfica fans will be expecting their side to make it back to the main draw of the Champions League, especially after witnessing a solid run to the round of 16 in the 2024-25 edition. They’ve gotten off to a perfect start in the new season, winning all four of their competitive fixtures while keeping a clean sheet in each. This included a 1-0 win over Sporting in the Supertaca to lift their first piece of silverware of the year. See what our experts make of this clash in our Fenerbahce vs Benfica prediction!
Celtic vs Kairat Almaty - David vs Goliath in Glasgow
- Venue: Celtic Park (Glasgow)
- Date and time: 20 August 2025, 20:00 BST
Celtic finished 21st in the league stage last season after accumulating a 3-3-2 record. They were then knocked out by Bayern in the knockout round play-off. They’re seeking their fourth consecutive season making it to the Champions League main draw. With a dominant hold on the domestic action in Scotland, fans will be hoping that the Bhoys can take the next step up on the European front and mount a deep run in the UCL.
Kairat, on the other hand, are seeking their first ever appearance in Europe’s elite club competition. They’ve battled through to the play-off after starting all the way back in the first qualifying round. In a sense, they are almost playing with house money. Even if they come up short against the Scottish champions, they’ll still be part of the Europa League. It would mark the first time that they compete in the main draw of the UEL and would also be a significant achievement for the team. All the pressure will therefore be on Celtic to deliver in what is undoubtedly one of the more favourable draws of the play-off round. Check out the full analysis in our Celtic vs Kairat Almaty prediction.
Bodo/Glimt vs Sturm Graz - Monumental stakes for both clubs
- Venue: Aspmyra Stadium (Bodo)
- Date and time: 20 August 2025, 20:00 BST
After impressing in the Europa League last season, Bodo/Glimt are now looking to take the step up and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in club history. They’ll face off against Austrian side Sturm Graz for the first ever meeting between these two teams. For a more in-depth breakdown, check out our Bodo/Glimt vs Sturm Graz prediction.
Bodo/Glimt actually made it to this stage last year, before a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Red Star demoted them to the Europa League. They would go on to make the most of that tournament though, and the experience gained in the 2024-25 Europa League is sure to benefit the Bodo/Glimt players here. During that run, the Norwegian champions knocked off Twente, defending champions Olympiacos and Lazio before falling to eventual winners Tottenham in the semi-final.
Sturm Graz are looking to compete in the Champions League main draw for the second season in a row. They didn’t have much luck last year, finishing 30th out of 36 with two wins and six losses in their eight appearances. But with a second straight Austrian Bundesliga title under their belts, successfully dismounting RB Salzburg from the position that they had dominated for so long, Die Schwoazn will be full of confidence.
