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Saturday, August 08, 2015

UEFA Champions League Playoff Draw

The UEFA Champions League play-off draw was made in Nyon on Friday and it has thrown up some tough ties as teams attempt to reach the group stage.

Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk were both eliminated in the round of 16 last season and start their latest campaigns against Lazio and Rapid Wien respectively while Sporting Lisbon face CSKA Moskva, in a repeat of the 2005 UEFA Cup final.

Manchester United will face Belgian runners-up Club Brugge, while the big tie of the round throws Valencia against Monaco.

League route (3rd/4th placed last season)
Lazio (ITA) v Bayer Leverkusen (GER) – 18 & 26 August
Manchester United (ENG) v Club Brugge (BEL) – 18 & 26 August
Sporting CP (POR) v CSKA Moskva (RUS) – 18 & 26 August
Rapid Wien (AUT) v Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) – 19 & 25 August
Valencia (ESP) v AS Monaco (FRA) – 19 &; 25 August

In the champions route for lower ranked countries, the highlight is the tie between Celtic, the first British club to lift the trophy in 1967, and Malmö, runners-up in 1979.

Champions route
Astana (KAZ) v APOEL (CYP) – 18 &; 26 August
Skënderbeu (ALB) v Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) – 19 & 25 August
Celtic (SCO) v Malmö (SWE) – 19 & 25 August
FC Basel (SUI) v Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR) – 19 & 25 August
BATE Borisov (BLR) v Partizan (SRB) – 18 & 26 August

• All games at 20.45CET except Astana v APOEL on 18 August at 18.00CET.
 • The defeated teams will transfer to the UEFA Europa League group stage

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