The Champions League league phase draw takes place on Thursday in Nyon, Switzerland, and four debutants will learn their opponents for the first time: LASK, Como 1907, Viking and Sabah FK.
LASK's stunning comeback
Austrian side LASK, regulars in Europe's second and third tier competitions, earned their first shot at Champions League football thanks to a remarkable turnaround. After losing the first leg of their play-off round tie with Celtic 4-0, LASK hosted the former winners at the Raiffeisen Arena and secured a 5-1 victory, booking their place in the league phase.
Como's historic Serie A finish
In Italy, Como's rise has continued on the banks of Lake Como. Cesc Fabregas' side made history on the final day of the Serie A season with a 4-1 win over 10-man Cremonese, which, combined with AC Milan's 2-1 defeat to Cagliari, secured their spot at Europe's top table.
"It's up there with all my achievements for how it was done and with whom we did it, because we did it with very young players, almost all of them are under 23 years old. That's amazing," said former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Fabregas.
Viking's return to Europe
In Norway, Viking stunned fans by pipping Bodo/Glimt – last season's Champions League story – to the Eliteserien title. Based in Stavanger, Norway's third largest city, Viking have European pedigree, having famously knocked Chelsea out of the UEFA Cup in the 2002/03 season. They last featured in European football over 20 years ago and, after a period of financial instability and relegation, have found themselves back in the big time.
Sabah FK's surprise rise
The biggest surprise may be Azerbaijani side Sabah FK, who ended Qarabag FK's era of dominance to qualify. Founded only in 2017, their manager Valdas Dambrauska won Lithuania's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and spent his winnings on his dream of becoming a football manager. Dambrauska studied Sports Science and Coaching at London Metropolitan University, worked at youth academies including Manchester United, Brentford and Fulham, and managed ninth-tier Kingsbury London Tigers before returning to Lithuania, which eventually led him to Sabah.
