Mayambela gets a shot at UCL

Mayambela gets a shot at UCL

Sensational results in the first preliminary round of the Champions League have seen some huge TAB soccer payouts, and that trend is set to continue as clubs from countries like Belgium and Greece enter the fray this week in search of European glory.

By Mark Gleeson

When the group phase of the Champions League gets underway in the second half of September, 26 of the 32 teams will have pre-qualified.

That means there are only six places available to the multitude of clubs who are participating in the preliminary knockout rounds of the competition.

There are four preliminary rounds in total, with clubs entering at various stages depending on where they are ranked in UEFA’s coefficient, with countries getting preferential status depending on past results.

Today and tomorrow sees the start of the second preliminary round, with clubs from countries like Belgium, Greece, Norway, Switzerland, and Ukraine entering the competition in ties against teams from smaller footballing nations who emerged victorious from last week’s first round.

South Africans will take special interest in tomorrow’s clashes where Bafana Bafana winger Mihali Mayambela competes for Aris Limassol at home against BATE Borisov of Belarus. Mayambela scored last Friday as Aris began their new season with success in the Cypriot Super Cup.

Last week’s first preliminary round matches produced some sensational results and there is every chance there could be more upsets in this week’s first leg ties. The champions of the tiny Faroe Islands KI Klaksvik pulled off a memorable triumph over Ferencvaros, the champions of Hungary, who were a world force in the 1950s.

Thursday will see games in the Europa Conference League where upsets can also be expected.

At the weekend, the league in Belgium kicks off with champions Royal Antwerp having won the Super Cup on Sunday, beating Mechelen 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate.

The last campaign saw three clubs in contention on the last day of the season and resulted in a thrilling finish. Union Saint Gilloise, where Percy Tau first played when he left Mamelodi Sundowns, could have won their first title in some 80 years but were denied in dramatic circumstances.

They host the first game of the new campaign at home to Brussels rivals Anderlecht, who used to be the force in the Belgian game but have followed a youth policy in recent years and last won the league in 2017.

Barcelona and Real Madrid take their ‘El Clásico’ rivalry to Texas this weekend as they meet in a pre-season friendly but just how much they will be showing each other before the new LaLiga season remains to be seen.

Surely there will be cards held close to their respective chests to ensure not too much is given away before the start of the Spanish league in mid-August.