Champions League play-off draw

Celtic could face Sweden’s Malmo or Hungary’s Vidi FC for a place in the group stage of this season’s Champions League following the playoff draw on Monday.


The Scottish champions must first beat Greek side AEK Athens over two legs of the third qualifying round starting on Wednesday.

Six places are up for grabs in the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition.

Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven meet Qarabag or BATE Borisov while former European champions Benfica of Portugal or Turkey’s Fenerbahce play PAOK or Spartak Moscow.

The six teams beaten in the playoffs will drop into the group stages of the second-tier Europa League.


Champions path
Crvena zvezda (SRB)/Spartak Trnava (SVK) v Salzburg (AUT)/Shkëndija (MKD)
Qarabağ (AZE)/BATE Borisov (BLR) v PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Young Boys (SUI) v Astana (KAZ)/Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Malmö (SWE)/Vidi (HUN) v Celtic (SCO)/AEK Athens (GRE)

League path
Benfica (POR)/Fenerbahçe (TUR) v PAOK (GRE)/Spartak Moskva (RUS)
Standard Liège (BEL)/Ajax (NED) v Slavia Praha (CZE)/Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)

The third qualifying round ties will conclude on Tuesday 14 August, with the play-offs set to take place on 21/22 and 28/29 August. The losing teams transfer to the UEFA Europa League group stage.

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