PAOK to face Basel in Champions League qualifiers

Greek Cup winner PAOK will face Swiss league runner-up Basel in the third qualifying round of the Champions League next month.

The draw by UEFA on Tuesday would place the Thessaloniki club against either Basel or Ajax on the non-champions route to the profitable group stage, and eventually PAOK has avoided the Dutch giant to face the team that only narrowly missed out on extending its title-winning streak in Switzerland.

The first leg of the home-and-away qualifiers will take place on July 24/25 in Greece and the return is scheduled for July 31 or August 1 in Switzerland.

The winner of the tie will advance to the Champions League play-offs in August.