adminPep Guardiola’s Manchester City will play Romanian side Steaua Bucharest in the final Champions League qualifying round after the draw was made in Nyon yesterday. Guardiola, who twice won the competition as manager with Barcelona, will see his new side travel to the home of the 1986 champions for the first leg as they attempt to reach the lucrative group stages.
Former champions Porto have been handed a tough tie against Roma while four-times winners Ajax face Russian side FC Rostov. Scottish side Celtic must find a way past Israeli side Hapoel Beer-Sheva, who knocked out Greek side Olympiacos in the previous round.
New Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has said reaching the group stages is a priority for a side who were the first British winners of the European Cup in 1967. Ireland’s Dundalk, who have never reached the group stage, play Poland’s Legia Warsaw, with the first leg switched to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
Ties will be played on August 16-17 with the reverse legs a week later.
Full draw
Champions route: Ludogorets v Viktoria Plzen, Celtic v Hapoel Beer-Sheva, Copenhagen v Apoel, Dundalk v Legia Warsaw, Dinamo Zagreb v Salzburg
Non-champions route: Steaua Bucharest v Manchester City, Porto v Roma, Ajax v Rostov, Young Boys v Borussia Monchengladbach, Villarreal v Monaco. — Reuters.
Online Reporter