2019-20 UEFA Champions League: Meet the six qualifiers
Ajax Amsterdam, Slavia Praha, and Club Brugge join Olympiacos, GNK Dinamo, and Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) as the six qualifiers who came through two-legged play-offs to join 26 other qualified clubs for the group stage of the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League.
Here are the profiles of the six play-off winners.
#1: Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Eredivisie champions Ajax beat Cypriot club APOEL 2-0 in Amsterdam in the second leg of the Champions League playoffs, following a goalless draw in Nicosia in the first leg, to be back in the group stage of the competition following their run to the semifinals last season. They have won the European Cup four times, the last time in 1995.
# 2: Slavia Praha (Czech Republic)
The Czech club Slavia Praha earned a pair of 1-0 wins home and away to see-off Romanian club CFR Cluj 2-0 on aggregate in the playoffs to seal their second group stage appearance in the Champions League.
Slavia finished third in their only previous group-stage appearance in the competition in 2007-08 in a group that had Arsenal, Sevilla, and Steaua Bucuresti.
# 3: Club Brugge (Belgium)
Club Brugge beat Austrian club LASK Linz 2-1 at home, following a 1-1 away draw in the first leg, to qualify for the Champions League group stage for the third time in the last four seasons. They have reached the final on one previous occasion.
With Belgian league winners Genk having qualified for the group stage, it is the first time in 2005-06, that Belgium have two clubs in the Champions League group stage.
# 4: GNK Dinamo (Croatia)
The Croatian capital club Dinamo beat Norwegian club Rosenborg 2-1 at home in the first leg and held the home side to a 1-1 draw in the second leg in Norway to seal a 3-1 aggregate-win in the playoffs.
GNK had earlier beaten Hungarian club Ferencvaros 5-1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round to qualify for the playoffs.
It is GNK's fifth group-stage appearance in the last nine years.
# 5: Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
The Serbian champions followed a 2-2 away draw at Swiss club Young boys with a 1-1 home draw to seal a 3-3 aggregate-win on away goals in the playoffs to qualify for the Champions League group stage for the second successive season.
Crvena Zvezda, also called Red Star Belgrade, beat Danish club Kobenhavn 7-6 on penalties following a 2-2 aggregate draw in the third qualifying round, to qualify for the play-offs.
Crvena's qualification, along with Ajax's, makes it two former winners of the competition, to make it to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League via the play-off route.
# 6: Olympiacos
The Greek champions won 2-1 at Krasnodar, following their 4-0 home win in the first leg, to complete a comprehensive 6-2 aggregate-win to qualify for their 19th group-stage appearance in the UEFA Champions League.
Olympiacos had beaten Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir 3-0 on aggregate in the third qualifying round to qualify for the play-offs.