This archive report was first published on 22 July 2019.
On Monday, Ajax was drawn to face Greek champions Paok Thessaloniki in the third qualifying round for this year's Champions League group stages, published on July 22, 2019.
Despite winning the Eredivisie for the 34th time and coming close to reaching the Champions League final, Ajax does not receive automatic entry into the group stages.
Beating Paok would still require Ajax to win a play-off to join top teams like Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Juventus in the main competition.
Ajax faces a difficult tie, having already lost several key players from their young squad, including central defender Matthijs de Ligt, who joined Juventus, and midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who moved to Barcelona.
Paok, on the other hand, went unbeaten to win the Greek Super League, finishing five points ahead of Olympiakos and securing their first league title in over three decades.
The first leg will be played at Paok's Toumba Stadium on August 6 or 7, with the return in Amsterdam a week later.
