If Aston Villa don't help, Sporting know tough Champions foes | OneFootball

Sporting’s European start to next season remains up in the air, and this Wednesday could prove decisive in defining the Lions’ path to the Champions League. The green-and-whites are awaiting the outcome of the Europa League final between Aston Villa and Freiburg, hoping Unai Emery’s side wins the trophy and finishes fourth in the Premier League.

If that scenario is confirmed, Sporting will go straight into the Champions League league phase as the highest-ranked non-champion club among those currently bound for the qualifying rounds. If not, Rui Borges’ team will have to play in the third qualifying round and potentially the play-off for a place in Europe’s top competition, forcing the squad to start the season earlier in a summer affected by the World Cup.

The Lions also already know some of their possible opponents should they have to go through qualification. In the third qualifying round, Sporting will be seeded thanks to their UEFA coefficient of 84.000 points. Among the confirmed possible opponents are NEC Nijmegen and Sparta Prague, with teams such as Fenerbahçe, Sturm Graz, Heart of Midlothian or even the Polish runners-up also still possible.

Another possible scenario involves Union Saint-Gilloise and Olympiakos. The Belgians currently appear to be the more likely option, although everything still depends on the title race in Belgium. On the seeded side, alongside Sporting, there will be teams such as Lyon and Bodø/Glimt.

In the potential play-off, the scenario could become even more demanding. Sporting will remain seeded, but could come up against teams such as Bodø/Glimt or Olympiakos, depending on the final outcome of the domestic leagues and the previous qualifying rounds. Lyon could also join that group if Club Brugge do not win the Belgian title.

The draw for the third qualifying round is scheduled for 20 July, even before the previous round has been completed. The matches will be played on 4 or 5 August and on 11 August, dates that could force the Lions to bring forward the start of pre-season significantly if Aston Villa fail to directly “open” the doors of the Champions League for Sporting.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.