Benfica will play their way into the group stages of the Women’s Champions League with Cypriot side Apollon Ladies FC, with the first leg in Cyprus, according to the draw for the second qualifying round in Nyon today.
On the ‘path of the champions’, the ‘red players’ will play in Cyprus on October 10 or 11 and the following week, on October 18 or 19, they will host Apollon at the Benfica Campus in Seixal.
The ‘red’ team reached this stage by winning group 6 of the first round, against Cliftonville (8-1) and Riga (4-0), while Apollon had the upper hand in group 3 by beating Ljuboten (9-0) with a hat trick from the Portuguese Joana Dantas and Samerelo (3-0).
Benfica wants to be present in the group stage for the third time in a row and wants to maintain its full status, as this stage was only introduced in the Women’s Champions League in 2021/2022.
In 2021/22, the ‘red’ team eliminated Dutch side Twente in the second round, with a 1-1 away draw and a 4-0 home defeat, and last season they defeated Scottish side Rangers (3-2 away and 2-1 after extension at home).
In turn, Apollon has also played its way to the ‘Champions’ group stage over the past two seasons, falling in the second round to Ukrainian side Kharchiv in 2021/22 and against Swiss side Zurich in 2022/23. the first.
In the group stage, Benfica finished third in both seasons, in 2021/22 behind Lyon and Bayern Munich and ahead of Häcken, and in 2022/23 behind FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich and ahead of Rosengärd.
In 2023/24, the 16-team group stage starts on November 14 and runs until January 31, 2024, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals.
The final will take place on May 24 or 26 at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain.
Result of the draw for the second qualifying round for the group stage of the Women’s Champions League:
Path of champions
Apollon-Benfica
Zurich-Ajax
Rome-Vorskla Poltava
Valur Reykjavik-St. Pölten
Slavia Prague-Cluj
Glasgow City Brann
Subotica-Rosengärd
League Path
Häcken-Twente
Real Madrid-Välerenga
Eintracht Frankfurt-Sparta Prague
Paris FC-Wolfsburg
Manchester United-Paris Saint-Germain
Please note: The 12 winners of the second round will be joined in the group stage by FC Barcelona (Spain), Lyon (France), Bayern Munich (Germany) and Chelsea (England).
Source: DN
