Champions League

Turkish club Fenerbahçe?s star-studded squad will not be playing in the Champions League this season after losing a third qualifying ground tie against Shakthar Donetsk. 

Goals from Dario Srna, Oleksandr Gladkiy and Alex Teixeira gave Shakthar a 3-0 victory at home Aug. 5, in the return game of a goalless draw in Istanbul, booking the Ukrainians a place in the playoff leg.

Fenerbahçe players will give their all when the Turkish club visits Shakhtar Donetsk on Aug. 5 in the second leg of a Champions League third qualifying round game.

Having been held to a goalless draw last week at home, Fenerbahçe will need to score at least one goal to advance to the playoffs and extend its chances of claiming a berth in the group stage.

The Bulgarian reigning football champion Ludogorets signed a contract with one of the most promising players of Sao Paulo - Jonathan Renato Barbosa - Cafu.

The 24-year-old Brazilian, who plays as a winger, joins the Bulgarian team after having played eleven matches for Sao Paulo this season.

Fenerbahçe, the Turkish giant that has undergone a facelift this summer by picking up Portuguese international Nani and Dutch star Robin van Persie from Manchester United, will return to the Champions League with a third qualifying round game against Ukraine?s Shakhtar Donetsk, after the draw was made on July 17. 

Bulgaria's reigning football champion Ludogorets suffered a surprising defeat in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the Champions League.

Hosts Ludogorets lost 0-1 to the champions of Moldova Milsami Orhei in a match, which was played on Tuesday.

Arda Turan, the Turkish star who is set to go to Barcelona July 9 following an up to 41 million-euro contract, sets high goals at the Catalan giant, filling the last gap in his career sheet: a Champions League title. 

Bulgaria's reigning football champion signed a two-year contract with the captain of Steaua Bucuresti - Andrei Prepelita.

Prepelita, who plays as midfielder, started his senior career at Arges Pitesti before moving to Universitatea Craiova.

Brazilian defender Junior Caicara made a prominent step in his career by joining German club Schalke 04 after spending three seasons at Bulgaria's reigning football champion Ludogorets.

Caicara, who joined Ludogorets back in 2012, signed a three-year contract until 30 June 2018, the website of Schalke informs.

Atletico Madrid Turkish midfielder Arda Turan wants a move to the Premier League this summer and has three offers from top English clubs, according to his agent.

The Turkey international has two years left on his contract with the Spanish club and has been strongly linked with a move away from the Vicente Calderon stadium this summer.

The draws for the first and second qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, which took place in Nyon on Monday, determined the opponents of the Bulgarian teams participating in the top two European tournaments.