Benfica and Rio Ave to find out their Champions League and Europa League opponents

Rio Ave and Benfica will soon be discovering who they will be facing in their first European qualifiers of the 2020-21 season, with Rio Ave going into the Europa League at the second qualifying round, while Benfica enter the Champions League at the third qualifying stage.

The draw for both qualifying rounds will take place on Monday, 31st August, with the Champions League draw kicking off at 11:00 BST and the Europa League draw then taking place an hour later at 12:00.

The draws will not only determine who Benfica and Rio Ave will play, but which venue will host the one-off match, with Rio Ave potentially facing a fairly lengthy trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Who can Benfica and Rio Ave play?

Benfica are seeded for the draw, meaning that the three sides that Benfica could be drawn against are PAOK of Greece, managed by Portuguese manager Abel Ferreira, Austria’s Rapid Vienna, and AZ Alkmaar of the Dutch Eredivisie.

PAOK beat Turkish giants Besiktas in convincing fashion in the last round to reach this stage, overcoming them by three goals to one. AZ, meanwhile, struggled to overcome Viktoria Plzen, losing 1-0 deep into second half stoppage time, only equalising through a 95th minute penalty. They went on to win 3-1 after extra time. Rapid Vienna, meanwhile, overcame Lokomotiva of Croatia in what could be seen as the easiest match of them all.

Should Benfica win against whichever side they are drawn against, they will make it through to the final play-off round of qualification, knowing that it is Russian side Krasnodar that await them. Should they then beat Krasnodar, they will reach the Champions League group stage.

Rio Ave, meanwhile, will also be seeded and can also be drawn against one of three teams; though many teams enter the Europa League at the third qualifying round, the draw is split into several groups, and Rio Ave are in group 9 alongside fellow seeded side Rangers and Stade Reims.

The three sides will then each be drawn against one of the following: Servette of the Swiss Super League, Borac Banja Luka of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar.

Undoubtedly on paper, Lincoln Red Imps would be the most favourable draw for Rio Ave, while Servette, who thrashed Slovakian side Ruzomberok 3-0 in the last round, should be the hardest and the side to avoid for Rio Ave.