Gunners and Celtic face tricky ties in Champions League play-offs

Arsenal have been drawn to face Turkish club Fenerbahce in the Champions League play-offs.

Fenerbahce are awaiting a final ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over whether they will be allowed to go into the competition proper this season, having been banned from competing in Europe by UEFA for match-fixing in domestic competition.

They have challenged that ruling and a CAS verdict is due before the group stage draw is made, but home and away matches against Arsenal stand to go ahead before that decision arrives.

UEFA today said no decision has yet been made regarding what would happen in the event of Fenerbahce winning the tie and losing their CAS appeal.

Fenerbahce finished second in the Turkish Super Lig last season, while Arsenal took fourth place in the Barclays Premier League.

Celtic have been drawn against Shakhter Karagandy of Kazakhstan in what appears a favourable draw, travel notwithstanding, for Neil Lennon’s team as they bid to reach the group stages.

The UEFA Champions League Play-Off draw is as follows:

Dinamo Zagreb v FK Austria Vienna

Ludogorets v Basle

Plzen v Maribor

Shakhtyor Karaganda v Celtic

Steaua Bucuresti v Legia Warsaw

Lyon v Real Sociedad

Schalke 04 v FC Metalist Kharkiv

Pacos Ferreira v Zenit St Petersburg

PSV v AC Milan

Fenerbahce v Arsenal

Ties to be played 20/21 and 27/28 August.