Article body analysed
Aberdeen in Europa League play-off round draw Celtic to play Kairat Almaty or Slovan Bratislava in Champions League play-off round Rangers to play RB Salzburg or Club Brugge if they beat FC Viktoria Plzen in third qualifying round Crystal Palace, Dundee United and Hib among sides in Conference League play-off round draw from 13: 00 Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Emma Smith and Saffie Yates Aberdeen There are three groupings for the Europa League play-off draw, based on Uefa co-efficients. Aberdeen are in grouping 2 as one of the unseeded sides, so will definitely play a higher ranked team. If the Dons win their play-off tie, they qualify for the Europa League league phase. Lose, and they drop into the Conference League. Their list of potential opponents is: Europa League play-off round draw Time: 12. 00 BST British teams involved: Aberdeen (Scotland) Conference League play-off round draw Time: 13. 00 BST British teams involved: Crystal Palace (England), Linfield (Northern Ireland), Larne (Northern Ireland), Dundee United (Scotland), Hibernian (Scotland) Slovan Bratislava, nicknamed the Sky Blues, are Slovakia's most successful club. Last season they secured their sixth consecutive Slovak league title, marking the 30th championship in the club's history. In 1969, Slovan beat Barcelona in the final of the Cup Winners' Cup to become the first and only Slovakian team to win a European competition. Celtic beat Slovan 5-1 in the opening game of the Champions League group phase last season, as Slovan lost all eight league matches. Kairat are based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The club are champions of the Kazakhstan Premier League, the fourth domestic title in their history. Despite their domestic success, the club has yet to make any significant impact on the European stage - they have never made the group or league phase in any competition. The club is currently managed by Rafael Urazbakhtin (pictured) and under his leadership Kairat once again sit top of the table after 19 matches - the Kazakh league runs to an annual calendar, rather than the usual European system. Celtic have never played Kairat Almaty before but have beaten Shakhter Karagandy and Astana from Kazakhstan in 2013 and 2017. Club Brugge finished second in the Belgian Pro League last season, and reached the last-16 of the Champions League before losing 6-1 on aggregate to Aston Villa. Ranger met Brugge last month in a friendly, drawing 2-2 at Ibrox. Players to keep an eye on include midfielders Ardon Jashari and Raphael Onyedika, and young Greek winger Kristos Tzolis. Former Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is in the squad. RB Salzburg finished second in the Austrian Bundesliga last season, while in the Champions League they were eliminated in the league phase after finishing 34th in the table with just one win from eight games. Jurgen Klopp's former assistant Pep Lijnders began the season as manager, but was dismissed in December after a poor start to the campaign. After taking part in the Fifa Club World Cup earlier this summer, Salzburg defeated Norwegian side Brann in the second qualifying round. The likes of Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane and Dominik Szoboszlai have played for the Austrian side in the past. Click 'Get involved' at the top of this page Normally I’d be happy with a draw like that, however yesterday hasn’t left me with much optimism unless we start making some attacking signings! Max, Aberdeen Rangers last got through Champions League qualifying in 2022 - and fans will not want reminding of what happened next. They lost all six group phase matches, scoring two goals and conceding 22. It goes down in infamy as the worst ever group record in that format of the competition. Click 'Get involved' at the top of this page I agree with Dan (@ 11. 02 BST), for both Rangers and Celtic. Europa League is much more suited to the Glasgow clubs. More competitive games and longer runs in the competition rather than the dreary defensive games against Champions League teams. Frazer, Glasgow Champions League The schedule for the league phase of the competition is as follows: The schedule for the knockout phase of the competition is as follows: A total of 29 teams are already guaranteed a place in the league phase of the Champions League, with the play-offs deciding the seven qualifiers who will join them. Among those already secured of a spot are holders PSG, Europa League winners Tottenham, and a further five representatives from the Premier League: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Chelsea. Click 'Get involved' at the top of this page That'll be Celtic through. They gave Slovan six last year. Marc Celtic did indeed beat Slovan 5-1 in the opening game of the Champions League group phase last season. They will fancy their chances should they face the Slovakians again in the play-offs. We'll bring you profiles on the potential opponents for Rangers and Celtic in the next hour. We will also be looking forward to the Europa League play-off draw at noon, and the Confference League draw after that. In the meantime, let us know what you make of those ties for the Scottish giants - get in touch via the form at the top of this page. Rangers If Rangers get past Viktoria Plzen in the third qualifying round, they will play Austrian side RB Salzburg or Club Brugge of Belgium. Like Celtic, Rangers have been drawn as the potential home side in the first leg on 19 or 20 August. We await to see if policing issues require any changes on that front. If Rangers lose either to Plzen or in the play-off round, they drop into the Europa League. But if they win both ties, a spot in the Champions League proper awaits. On we go, into the Champions League league path. Rangers feature in this one. .. Celtic Brendan Rogers' side are in the fourth tie drawn, and will play either the champions of Kazakhstan or Slovakia for a place in the Champions League. The first leg will take place in Glasgow at Celtic Park on 19 or 20 August, with the return leg in Almaty or Bratislava a week later. The winner over two legs goes into the league phase, the loser drops into the Europa League. After remarkably little waffle, we are under way. First up is the Champions League champions path - this features Celtic. .. The 2025-26 Uefa Champions League officially began last month with the first and second qualifying rounds. The first legs of the third qualifying round take place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, with the second legs all taking place on Tuesday, 12 August. The first and second legs of the play-offs - the final round of qualifying, being drawn today - are scheduled for 19/20 and 26/27 August respectively. Click 'Get involved' at the top of this page As a Celtic supporter I would like a year in the Europa League so see if we can get to the later stages.
A big deal is made of the finances in making the Champions League but I can’t see our board spending big money regardless of the tournament. Dan, Glasgow Rangers If Scottish Premiership runners-up Rangers get past Viktoria Plzen in the third round of qualifying, they will join Celtic in the play-off round. Unlike their Glasgow rivals, Russell Martin's side are in the League Path - so there's no chance of an Old Firm Derby. But like Celtic, if Rangers lose then they drop into the league phase of the Europa League. The sides Rangers could be drawn against today are: Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.