UEFA will hold the Champions League group stage draw on August 28 in Monaco, as confirmed in a statement.The top competition will feature 36 teams divided into four pots according to their

Free expert football tips, best bets and predictions for Thursday's Conference League play-off round, first leg matches.

Eze is on the verge joining Tottenham after a verbal agreement was reached on a deal totalling £60million, centre-half Marc Guehi is moving closer to joining Liverpool for around £38m and Adam Wharton, one of the best midfielders in the business, could also be sold with Manchester United and Real Madrid linked with the 21-year-old in recent days.

Fiorentina opens the season on Thursday, August 21, with the first leg of the Conference League qualifier. The opponent is Polissya Zhytomyr, a Ukrainian team that, due to the

Check out how to watch Crystal Palace v Fredrikstad in the Conference League qualifiers, including TV channel, live stream coverage and kick-off time.

Linfield’s hopes in European competition remained alive after losing to Shels last month because they avail of the champions’ path that saw them parachute into the Conference League. David Healy’s side edged out Zalgiris of Lithuania before also seeing off Vikingur from the Faroe Islands 3-2 on aggregate.

Thelin was asked if having the safety net of guaranteed Conference League football takes some of the pressure off going into these two games, but he dismissed that notion, saying they are only targeting the Europa League. Thelin believes his team "is growing" and is looking forward to experiencing a European atmosphere at Pittodrie.

EBERECHI EZE could still play in Crystal Palace’s European opener - as his proposed move to Tottenham drags on. Spurs are pushing hard to sign the England star, 27. And while it is believed a deal worth in the region of £60million is close, it is understood there remains a sticking point over payment conditions.