Mourinho's Fenerbahce paired with Feyenoord in Champions League qualifying. Benfica gets Nice
Fenerbahce, which finished runner-up in the Turkish league, will go to Rotterdam for the first leg on Aug. 5 or 6 and host the return in Istanbul on Aug. 12.
The winner will advance to a qualifying playoffs round in August with a place in the lucrative 36-team league phase at stake.
In other pairings between teams that did not win their domestic league, Benfica will play the first leg at Nice and the winner of the second qualifying round clash between Salzburg and Brann will host Club Brugge in the first leg.
Benfica and Salzburg — which plays the first leg against Brann in Norway on Wednesday — have an early start to their European season after returning from the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Benfica's season ended June 28, losing to eventual champion Chelsea in the round of 16, and Salzburg played until June 26 in the group stage.
Also in the Champions League qualifying section for non-champions, the winner between Rangers and Panathinaikos will advance to play Viktoria Plzen or Servette.
Games in the second qualifying round are completed July 30,
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Now We Wil See If Xabi Alonso Is Worthy Of Real Madrid
09 July 2025, USA, East Rutherford: Soccer: Club World Cup, Paris Saint-Germain - Real Madrid, final ... More round, semi-final at MetLife Stadium. Madrid coach Xabi Alonso arrives at the stadium before the match. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa (Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images) When Xabi Alonso was confirmed as Real Madrid manager, a thread about him and Luka Modric started trending on social media. It pointed out that when Alonso had left the Spanish giant as a player to join Bayern Munich, Modric was the club's key midfielder. Following that departure, Alonso played for three more years in Germany, retired, spent another few years learning his trade as a coach, and then spent two highly successful seasons as Bayer Leverkusen manager. This summer, the Basque coach has returned to Real Madrid as coach to find that Modric has been there the whole time, playing a key role at the club to the grand old age of 38. The fun fact has been slightly spoilt by the Croatian's subsequent departure for AC Milan, but it nevertheless demonstrates the incredible longevity he has managed. That said, his continued presence at the heart of the Madrid midfield was an indictment of the lack of development in the Spanish capital over the past decade. This is not to say it's been an unsuccessful period. An incredible five Champions League trophies have been won, two in the past five years under Carlo Ancelotti's guidance. But towards the end of last season, Real Madrid's method of assembling a team in which star power rather than team strategy was the decisive factor might be faltering. Comprehensively beaten by a better-organized Arsenal in the Champions League, they finished second in La Liga to a Barcelona team rejuvenated by Hansi Flick's tactics. Writing off a side with the level of talent Madrid possesses would be foolish, and it may yet prove that last season was a natural blip after much success. However, Alonso's appointment indicates that the club's hierarchy feels a more tactics-heavy manager is required. MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 16: Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid reacts during the UEFA Champions League ... More 2024/25 Quarter Final Second Leg match between Real Madrid C.F. and Arsenal FC at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 16, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by) The Basque coach might have a strong Madridista heritage, but he is most certainly not in the mould of previous club legends like Zinedine Zidane, whose mastery was more in mentality than formation. Alonso's coaching career has been turbocharged by his impressive tactical nous, which was the driving factor in the success of a Bayer Leverkusen side substantially less well-resourced than its rivals. However, the early signs from Alonso's Madrid were not good. Battered 0-4 by Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup, players afterwards admitted the team failed to follow their manager's instructions. "We didn't manage to apply the manager's plan," said Thibaut Courtois after the game. "We couldn't press like them; from my point of view, we always arrived a little late, everyone out of position and that's how they beat you. We weren't close to them." PSG notably achieved Champions League glory last season by abandoning the galactico star-driven approach that Real has mastered. So it was interesting that Xabi Alonso praised the PSG long-term plan in his postgame analysis. "They have been building for two years, and we are just starting, so we will take time," he said. "We will have to learn from today, but the feeling at the moment is not the best. "We need a proper break. This is not the beginning of next year; this is just the end of this season. After just three weeks here, I think we can take positives. We will take lessons from today." "Our new era is just beginning; there is still a lot of margin, lots of things we have to do better. "Today hurts, we have to be self-critical, but this shows us things. "We will take things from this match and from this World Cup. We leave here a better team, even if it is hard to say that right now. It can be a starting point for us, a way of beginning next season better. "Today is the end of this season, not the start of next. This competition has told me a lot of things about what we are and what we have to improve. "I leave here with many certainties. We will start from zero in August, when 2025-26 begins. Not from the 95th minute of today, but from zero." Alonso's plans for his Real Madrid side are unclear at this stage. But Ismael Garcia Gomez, a Spanish coach who works as Galatasaray's assistant, believes Alonso will try to introduce a much more disciplined approach. "I expect more tactical discipline and much more control of games," he told The Independent. "The challenge is, of course, not only to win, but to impose a style that Madrid have never historically had. 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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Manchester United's Mason Mount: Fit, confident and ready for Cunha and Mbeumo competition
Mason Mount knows that Manchester United have not seen the best of him, but the determination that drove him to winning the Champions League with Chelsea clearly still remains. Considering United's activity in the transfer market has been exclusively focused on players in his position in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, Mount retains a notable confidence he can finally show his true self at Old Trafford. Advertisement 'Yeah, 100 per cent,' says the 26-year-old, who signed for United in the summer of 2023. 'I'll always back myself. I know what I can do. But we're a team and we're all working together in that. Obviously with the new signings coming in, they're going to elevate us to another level — and we all need to be at that level to really perform. 'What they've done in the Premier League already, the amount of goals they've scored, the amount of assists they've created, that's exactly what we need in the team. 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But this is a new slate now, we're looking forward to performing. That first game of the season is a great opportunity.' Mount spent some of his holiday playing golf at Valderrama, the Spanish course that hosted the Ryder Cup in 1997, and with family in Ibiza. He kept himself fit through sessions advised by United. 'I feel like I'm in really good shape, had a good off-season, rested. That was probably one of the most important things, to take the rest. I slowly built up some sessions in the off-season, and that was from the staff here. They give us a schedule to work off.' The hamstring injury Mount suffered overextending his leg in the Manchester derby in December kept him out until March, and Amorim was careful to reintroduce him — and praised his diligence to returning to fitness. Injuries in his first two seasons at United mean Mount has only started 19 games, coming off the bench in a further 28, but the technical quality he has displayed appeals to Amorim. Mount feels totally healthy having investigated the causes. 'We've definitely looked at it in more detail, the small things matter massively in this day and age,' he says. 'When you've had small setbacks, it's about how you correct that and how you push on. We've looked at why. It's behind me now. I feel we're in a really, really good place going into this season.' Mount showed no trepidation at crashing into tackles when he came back last season. At one point he was booked three times in seven games. 'Yeah, getting far too many yellow cards for my liking,' he smiles. 'I've always had that in me. I was watching games and when you have that opportunity to come into the game, you want to have an impact, get straight into the action. You want to do something.' Advertisement His real strength comes in his appreciation of the game's tactics, an ability to understand what a coach wants. 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I played with Bendito (Mantato) in the second half of the first pre-season game (against Leeds), and it's about understanding the pockets of space that he should be in and being ready to receive the ball. 'It's little details and when we do analysis on games it's seeing those moments and everyone understanding that that matters. That little movement, the pass, appreciation, this all counts, and these small wins in the game will help create chances, will help us be more dominant with the ball. That's what we've been looking at.' After United's worst campaign in Premier League history, when they finished 15th, Mount believes Amorim's side must aim for an immediate return to Europe. 'Last season wasn't good enough. We know that, but we're ready to put that wrong right. We obviously want to be back in Europe. I think that is a massive, massive thing for the club. Europe, that's the focus.' In time, Mount wants a return to the top table. 'The Champions League would be amazing for us. 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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
AS Roma battling Leeds and Marseille for Igor Paixao
AS Roma have joined the race to sign Feyenoord winger Igor Paixao this summer (h/t journalist Gianluca Di Marzio). Marseille have agreed personal terms with the Brazilian winger on a five-year deal, but their €28 million offer has been turned down by the Eredivisie giants. Leeds United have also tabled an offer for Paixao, however the transfer race is still wide open. Roma have now entered the fray, with manager Gian Piero Gasperini prioritising a new winger to bolster the attack. The Giallorossi are confident that they can meet the Dutch club's €30m valuation following the sales of Enzo Le Fee, Leandro Paredes, Tammy Abraham and Nicola Zalewski. As Stephan El Shaarawy enters the final year of his contract, Roma are looking to bring in a long-term successor for the 32-year-old. Paixao enjoyed a prolific 2024/25 campaign, bagging 18 goals and 19 assists in all competitions. He caught wider attention with his stellar performances in the Champions League against Manchester City, Benfica and AC Milan. The Brazilian can explode and take his game to another level under Gasperini, who has groomed some of the finest talents at Atalanta. Roma are also monitoring Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Fabio Silva as a potential target. Wolves are planning to cash in on the Portuguese star, who has drawn up suitors following his impressive loan stint at Las Palmas last season. The 23-year-old's contract at Molineux Stadium runs out next summer, and he is valued at around €20 million. Roma have signed Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, who adds to a formidable attacking line-up containing Artem Dovbyk, El Shaarawy, Paulo Dybala and Matias Soule. They have also signed Moroccan midfielder Neil El Aynaoui and are working on the deals for Flamengo full-back Wesley and Hellas Verona centre-back Daniele Ghilardi.