Celtic drawn against Helsingborg in CL playoff
NYON, Switzerland ● Scottish champion Celtic will play Swedish league winner Helsingborg for a place in the group stage of the Champions League.
The playoff draw Friday also pitted Spanish side Malaga against Panathanaikos of Greece. The Andalucia-based side is in financial turmoil despite reaching club football’s most illustrious competition for the first time in its history, and allegedly owes a number of clubs money for players bought last season.
German club Borussia Moenchengladbach will face Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine and Spartak Moscow of Russia will play Turkish club Fenerbahce.
The first leg of the ties will be played on Aug. 21-22 with the return fixture the following week on Aug.28-29.
The playoff draw to reach the Europa League group stage (first leg scheduled for Aug. 23, second leg Aug. 30):
Anzhi Makhachkala (Russia) vs. AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)
Apoel (Cyprus) vs. Neftci (Azerbaijan)
Atromitos (Greece) vs. Newcastle (England)
Vaslui (Romania) vs. Inter Milan (Italy)
Hearts (Scotland) vs. Liverpool (England)
Athletic Bilbao (Spain) vs. HJK Helsinki (Finland)
Maritimo (Portugal) vs. Dila Gori (Georgia) or Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyprus)
Molde (Norway) vs. Heerenveen (Netherlands)
Debreceni (Hungary) vs. Club Brugge (Belgium)
FC Sheriff (Moldova) vs. Marseille (France)
Trabzonspor (Turkey) vs. Videoton (Hungary)
Midtjylland (Denmark) vs. Young Boys (Switzerland)
Slask Wroclaw (Poland) vs. Hannover 96 (Germany)
Dinamo Bucharest (Romania) vs. Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine)
Horsens (Denmark) vs. Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)
Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) vs. F91 Dudelange (Luxembourg)
Feyenoord (Netherlands) vs. Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)
Motherwell (Scotland) vs. Levante (Spain)
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) vs. Bordeaux (France)
Lokeren (Belgium) vs. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
Lazio (Italy) vs. ND Mura 05 (Slovenia)
AIK (Sweden) vs. CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Legia Warsaw (Poland) vs. Rosenborg (Norway)
Bursapor (Turkey) vs. FC Twente (Netherlands)
Steaua Bucharest (Romania) vs. Ekranas (Lithuania)
Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic) vs. Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine)
Stuttgart (Germany) vs. Dinamo Moscow (Russia)
PAOK (Greece) vs. Rapid Vienna (Austria)
Lucerne (Switzerland) vs. Genk (Belgium)
Zeta (Montenegro) vs. PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
Tromso (Norway) vs. Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
