FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — After sitting out three weeks with a strained hamstring, New York Jets running back Matt Forte returned to practice Tuesday and claimed he will be ready for the season opener against the Buffalo Bills.

“No doubt,” he said.

Forte, 31, said he hopes to play Saturday night against the New York Giants, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. The Jets want to see how he progresses throughout the week before making that determination.

“That’s my goal,” Forte said. “I don’t know what the coaches’ plan is, but that’s my plan.”

Forte, injured July 31 in the third practice of training camp, went through a similar ordeal last summer. He injured the same hamstring in a pre-camp workout and missed the first two preseason games. It was actually a torn hamstring, he revealed Tuesday, one that required an injection of platelet-rich plasma.

“This one, there was no tear in it, it was just a [grade I] strain,” he said. “It took about the same amount of time to actually heal up. … To get back to full speed, it took a couple weeks, which I wasn’t expecting. You can’t predict that type of stuff.”

Forte and fellow running back Bilal Powell are the most accomplished players on an inexperienced offense, and the Jets have big plans for both.

Five teams realised their dreams of reaching the 2017-18 Champions League group stage on Tuesday, while the quintet who fell short in the second legs of the play-off phase will now test themselves in the Europa League.

Here, theScore runs through the goals and events of all five of Tuesday’s fixtures.

Astana 4-3 Celtic (4-8 aggregate)

Goals:

• Astana: Kristoffer Ajer – 26′ (own goal)

• Celtic: Scott Sinclair – 33′

• Astana: Serikzhan Muzhikov – 48′

• Astana: Patrick Twumasi – 49′

• Astana: Patrick Twumasi – 69′

• Celtic: Olivier Ntcham – 79′

• Celtic: Leigh Griffiths – 90′

An overwhelming advantage almost turned into disaster for Celtic, but despite losing the second leg, the Scottish champion managed to sneak past Astana and into the Champions League group stage with an 8-4 aggregate victory.

A path to the group stage was crystal clear before the Kazakhstan outfit jumped out to a 4-1 lead. But fears of an meltdown were allayed by a late Celtic charge to secure progression.

Maribor 1-0 Hapoel Beer-Sheva (2-2)

Goals:

• Maribor: Mitja Viler – 15′

A crucial late save from Jasmin Handanovic – younger cousin of Inter Milan shot-stopper Samir – booked Maribor’s route into the Champions League group stages on away goals.

Hapoel Beer-Sheva had slightly more of the ball in Slovenia, but forwards Anthony Nwakaeme – a goalscorer in the previous encounter – and Mohammad Ghadir struggled to influence the game.

Maribor wound up last in Group G during the 2014-15 Champions League, when it finished below Chelsea, Schalke, and Sporting CP.

Nice 0-2 Napoli (0-4)

Goals:

• Napoli: Jose Maria Callejon – 48′
• Napoli: Lorenzo Insigne – 89′

Mario Balotelli and Wesley Sneijder floundered as Nice limped to a 2-0 loss to Napoli at the Allianz Riviera.

Napoli – tipped by many as the team most likely to topple Juventus in Serie A – professionally overcame the Alpes-Maritimes club with second-half tallies helped by questionable defending from Maxime Le Marchand and Dante.

Nice will participate in the Europa League for the second consecutive term.

Rijeka 0-1 Olympiacos (1-3)

Goals:

• Olympiacos: Marko Marin – 25′

Marko Marin, one of many players who drifted into obscurity through a series of loan spells while on Chelsea’s books, gave Olympiacos a valuable cushion in Rijeka with a neat, lifted finish.

Rijeka’s elimination at the play-off stage isn’t down to a want of trying, but Matjaz Kek’s ranks were wasteful with 12 attempts missing the target.

Sevilla 2-2 Istanbul Basaksehir (4-3)

Goals:

• Istanbul Basaksehir: Eljero Elia – 17′
• Sevilla: Sergio Escudero – 52′
• Sevilla: Wissam Ben Yedder – 75′
• Istanbul Basaksehir: Edin Visca – 83′

Istanbul Basaksehir fell short of an historic Champions League adventure despite a spirited performance in Andalusia.

Equipped with former Premier League regulars Gael Clichy, Emre Belozoglu, and Emmanuel Adebayor, the Turkish minnow opened the scoring through standout Eljero Elia, and then responded to two Sevilla strikes with Edin Visca’s late equaliser.

But Basaksehir will compete in the Europa League in 2017-18 – not bad for a team that only returned to the Turkish Super Lig from the second tier in 2014.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks have acquired offensive lineman Matt Tobin and a 2018 seventh-round pick from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

Tobin entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2013. He has started 21 games in four seasons and has played both tackle and guard.

The Seahawks lost starting left tackle George Fant to a season-ending knee injury during Friday’s preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Monday that second-year player Rees Odhiambo would get a shot to replace Fant. The team could also move Luke Joeckel over from left guard, and rookie Ethan Pocic could compete there as well.

None of Tobin’s starts have come at left tackle, but he has filled in there before and is expected to compete for playing time at that spot.

Jurgen Klopp was nothing short of impressed in how a teenager dismantled an old foe of his.

After Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is only 18 years old, curled home a beautiful free-kick in the first leg of Liverpool’s tie against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the Champions League’s play-offs, Klopp praised the teenage right-back, who was making his debut in European club football’s most prestigious tournament.

“I have to say for an 18-year-old to have the balls to kick a free-kick like that is more interesting and exciting for me than a little mistake he made,” Klopp said following Liverpool’s 2-1 away victory, according to the Guardian’s Andy Hunter. “It was an intensive game for him. He has still some things to learn. He thought it was offside but it was obviously not offside, unfortunately. Trent is a great player and I have to say I would rather have 2-1 than 1-0.”

Alexander-Arnold’s performance was mature beyond his years, as the youngster who grew up close to Liverpool’s training ground joined a number of the Reds’ attacks, including the one in which James Milner produced the club’s second goal at Hoffenheim.

The second leg of the tie is scheduled for Aug. 23 at Anfield.