Super Eagles star striker Victor Osimhen is set to return to Italy in February as his Turkish side Galatasaray have been drawn against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League play-off round.
Osimhen’s compatriot and national teammate, Ademola Lookman, will also face a challenging tie as his Atalanta side take on Borussia Dortmund. Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen were drawn against Olympiacos, and Club Brugge will play an unconfirmed opponent.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have been handed a swift rematch with José Mourinho’s Benfica in the draw for the Champions League play-off round on Friday, while reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain will face domestic rivals Monaco.
Benfica defeated Real 4-2 in their final league phase match on Wednesday, with a 98th-minute goal from goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin proving decisive in securing the Portuguese side’s play-off spot ahead of Marseille, who were eliminated. The defeat also saw Madrid drop out of the top eight places in the league standings, which offer direct access to the last 16, forcing them into this extra round.
Benfica staged a remarkable recovery to claim a play-off place – finishing 24th in the 36-team league phase, the final qualifying spot – by winning three of their last four matches after losing their opening four. Mourinho, 63, returned to the Lisbon giants for a second spell as coach in September. He was in charge of Real from 2010 to 2013, winning one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey, and reaching the Champions League semi-finals in each of his three campaigns.
The clubs previously met in the 1962 European Cup final, with Benfica winning 5-3 to claim their last of two titles to date.
PSG slipped out of the top eight after winning only one of their last five outings in the league phase, finishing in 11th place. They will travel to Monaco for the first leg and will be wary of the principality side who beat them there in Ligue 1 in November. However, 2004 Champions League finalists Monaco have been in poor form, with just one win in six games since the turn of the year. They are currently 10th in Ligue 1, 21 points behind leaders PSG, though a 0-0 draw with Juventus on Wednesday secured their play-off spot in Europe. PSG also overcame French opposition in the play-off round last season, hammering Brest 10-0 on aggregate before going on to lift the trophy for the first time.
Elsewhere, Newcastle United will be strong favourites against surprise packages Qarabag of Azerbaijan, with the first leg in Baku. Bodo/Glimt, Norwegian champions in four of the last six years, were also surprise qualifiers for this stage and have been rewarded with a tie against last season’s runners-up Inter Milan.
The two-legged play-off ties will take place in February, with the winners advancing to the last 16 in March.
