Champions League play-off draw
Liverpool will face Hoffenheim, the fourth-placed side in last season’s Bundesliga, in their play-off match, while Celtic face a long trip to Kazakhstan to take on Astana in the final qualifiers before the group stage begins.
Jürgen Klopp’s side will start as favourites against Hoffenheim, but will be tested by a side who survived relegation under Julian Nagelsmann before pulling off a surprise top-four finish.
Celtic face an 8,000 mile round trip to take on Astana, who they defeated in the third qualifying round last season. Elsewhere, France and Italy’s third-placed sides, Napoli and Nice, face each other. The winners of the ten ties will join 22 sides who have already qualified for the group stages.
The first legs, with Hoffenheim and Celtic at home, are on 15 or 16 August, with the return legs the following week. Liverpool face Crystal Palace between the two ties, and Arsenal on 27 August.
In the Europa League play-off draw, Everton have been drawn against Croatian side Hadjuk Split.
Full draw
Champions route:
Qarabag v FC Copenhagen
APOEL v Slavia Prague
Olympiacos v Rijeka
Celtic v Astana
Hapoel Beer Sheva v Maribor
League route:
Istanbul Basaksehir v Sevilla
Young Boys v CSKA Moscow
Napoli v Nice
Hoffenheim v Liverpool
Sporting Lisbon v Steaua Bucharest
Updated
League route draw
Istanbul Basaksehir v Sevilla
Young Boys v CSKA Moscow
Napoli v Nice
Hoffenheim v Liverpool
Sporting Lisbon v Steaua Bucharest
Liverpool are drawn against Hoffenheim
It’s a return to Germany for Jürgen Klopp, and former Hoffenheim striker Roberto Firmino. Hoffenheim will play at home in the first leg, as England and Germany’s fourth-placed teams are drawn against each other.
Next, it’s Napoli v Nice! So Hoffenheim or Steaua for Liverpool...
The second tie out is Young Boys v CSKA Moscow...
League Route draw
They’re not hanging about here – first up, it’s Istanbul Basaksehir v Sevilla!
Celtic face Astana!
Brendan Rodgers’ boys are next out, and will face Kazakh champions Astana, who they faced in last season’s third round. The away leg will be second; that’s not a great draw, all things considered. Here’s the full Champions Route draw:
Qarabag v FC Copenhagen
APOEL v Slavia Prague
Olympiacos v Rijeka
Celtic v Astana
Hapoel Beer Sheva v Maribor
Olympiacos v Rijeka, which leaves Astana or Hapoel Beer Sheva for Celtic...
Next, it’s APOEL v Slavia Prague...
Here we go!
That was quick. First up, it’s Qarabag v FC Copenhagen...
Next up, it’s none other than Uefa’s head of club competitions, Michael Heselschwerdt, with some technical information. The Champions route will be drawn first, and seeded teams aren’t certain to play at home second, as far as I’m aware – it depends which team is drawn first.
I thought for one blissful moment that they were going to get straight on with the draw. But no, we’re getting a montage of last season’s final between Juventus and Real Madrid first. Another chance to enjoy that Mario Mandzukic goal, at least. Woof!
Here we go! Giorgio Marchetti struts out to muted applause. “Welcome to the home of football” he chirps, then tells us that the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, can’t be here today.
The draw should be coming up aaaaany minute now. I’m sure they won’t drag it out. These guys are professionals!
Liverpool fan Neal Lynch knows what he wants. “Anyone but Hoffenheim please. Nice would not be especially nice either... let’s have some eastern European action.”
Hoffenheim, whose manager Julian Nagelsmann turned 30 last month, do look the most dangerous side of the five. If it’s Eastern Europe you’re after, Steaua Bucharest, who lost 6-0 on aggregate to Manchester City last season, look a safer bet than Basaksehir, who nearly ‘did a Leicester’ in Turkey last season and now come with added Emmanuel Adebayor.
There are some familiar names lying in wait for Celtic – they played both Astana and Hapoel Beer Sheva on their way to the group stages last year, with a 5-4 aggregate win over the Israeli champions proving particularly taxing. Celtic also took on Qarabag, champions of Azerbaijan, two years ago – they rarely qualify the easy way.
Draw details
Champions route
Seeded teams: Olympiacos (Greece), Celtic (Scotland), FC Copenhagen (Denmark), APOEL (Cyprus), Maribor (Slovenia).
Unseeded teams: Qarabag (Azerbaijan), Astana (Kazakhstan), Rijeka (Croatia), Hapoel Beer Sheva (Israel), Slavia Prague (Czechia).
League route
Seeded teams: Sevilla (Spain), Napoli (Italy), Liverpool (England), CSKA Moscow (Russia), Sporting (Portugal).
Unseeded teams: Steaua Bucharest (Romania), Young Boys (Switzerland), Hoffenheim (Germany), Nice (France), Istanbul Basaksehir (Turkey).
Preamble
Scottish champions Celtic have already played four qualifying ties to reach this final hurdle, while Liverpool are the only one of five English qualifiers not to go straight into the group stages.
The Champions League is not a bastion of equality, but both sides are on similar footing at this stage. There are two routes forward, named Champions and League (see what they did there) – Celtic are seeded in the former, and Liverpool in the latter.
That’s not to say it’ll be straightforward for either. Brendan Rodgers’ side are guaranteed a long trip, with a city break to face Slavia Prague or Rijeka on the Croatian coast perhaps more appealing than Qarabag, Astana or Hapoel Beer Sheva.
For Liverpool, there is plenty of danger lurking in the draw. Mario Balotelli’s Nice defeated Ajax to join Young Boys, Steaua Bucharest and two other dark horses, Hoffenheim and Istanbul Basaksehir, in the hat.
The draw begins at approximately 11am BST, 12pm local time.
Updated
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