Last season’s Barclays Premier League fourth-placed team Arsenal FC and Turkish giants Fenerbahce have been drawn together in the play-off round of the Uefa Champions League as Kazakhstan title winners Shakhter Karaganda hosts Efe Ambrose’s Celtic on either August 20 or 21, with the return leg slated for a week later.
Fenerbahce were recently re-admitted to the Champions League pending an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (Cas), after they were handed a two-year European ban by Uefa over Domestic match-fixing in June.
The final decision on Fenerbahce is due to be announced by Cas before 28 August, which could create a problem for Uefa if they progress and then lose their appeal.
Arsenal have met their play-off opponents in the Champions League twice before, in the group stage of the 2008 edition.
Arsene Wenger’s men won 5-2 in Istanbul before drawing 0-0 at home a few weeks later.
Celtic travel to Kazakhstan champions Shakhter Karagandy for their first leg and returns to Celtic Park a week later.
Full Draw For Champions League Play-Off Round.
Dinamo Zagreb vs FK Austria Vienna
Ludogorets vs Basle
Plzen vs Maribor
Shakhter Karaganda vs Celtic
Steua Bucharest vs Legia Warsaw
Lyon vs Real Sociedad
Schalke 04 vs FC Metalist Kharkiv
Pacos Ferreira vs Zenit St Petersburg
PSV vs AC Milan
Fenerbahce vs Arsenal.