Arsenal handed Celtic challenge

Last season's semi-finalists Arsenal FC must overcome Celtic FC if they are to return to the UEFA Champions League group stage following the draw for the play-off round in Nyon.

British rivals
The north London club lost to Manchester United FC in the last four in May and, having last missed out on the competition's group stage in 1997/98, must defeat their Scottish opponents – winners of the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1967 – in the Non-Champions Route. Elsewhere in the same section, Olympique Lyonnais, beaten by eventual champions FC Barcelona in last season's first knockout round, take on RSC Anderlecht from Belgium while Romania's FC Timişoara are rewarded for ousting FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the third qualifying round with a tie against VfB Stuttgart. Sporting Clube de Portugal, who edged out FC Twente to reach this stage, play ACF Fiorentina and the final tie brings together two teams who reached the first knockout round earlier this year in Panathinaikos FC and Club Atlético de Madrid.

Champions meet
The Champions Route paired Greece's titleholders Olympiacos CFP – who reached the first knockout round in 2007/08 – against FC Sheriff from Moldova, while Austria's FC Salzburg take on Maccabi Haifa FC of Israel. FK Ventspils, bidding to become the first Latvian side to reach the competition's group stage, must overcome FC Zürich, Denmark's FC København take on APOEL FC from Cyprus and PFC Levski Sofia of Bulgaria are the opponents for Hungary's Debreceni VSC.

Tie details
The play-offs are played over two legs on 18/19 and 25/26 August with the ten winners joining the draw for the UEFA Champions League group stage, which takes place in Monaco on 27 August. The losers will automatically drop into the inaugural UEFA Europa League group stage.