Celtic learn Champions League play-off opponents | OneFootball

Celtic will face LASK in the Champions League play-offs.

Martin O’Neill’s side were drawn out first against the Austrian champions.

The Hoops avoided a potential rematch with Kairat Almaty, who knocked Celtic out on penalties at the same stage last season following a goalless 210 minutes of action.

The first leg will take place on 18 or 19 August with the second leg the following week.

The Linz-based club won the Austrian Bundesliga for the second time last season, finishing two points ahead of defending champions Sturm Graz.

The club described their triumph as a “fairytale” and head coach Didi Kuhbauer said after the deciding win: “If someone had told us this seven months ago, we would have thought they were crazy.”

They also won the Austrian Cup to make it four major trophies in their history. Incredibly, both of the other triumphs also came in a double-winning campaign 61 years earlier.

LASK only won two European ties in sporadic outings in Uefa competition before being regulars from 2018. They reached the last 16 of the Europa League in 2020 and the same stage of the Conference League two years later after beating St Johnstone 3-1 on aggregate in the play-offs.

They have only won one of their last 14 European games and finished 35th in the Conference League last season.

Their summer signings included defender Miguel Freckleton, who moved from St Mirren after one season in Paisley.

Rangers face a trip to Northern Ireland to take on Larne should both sides get through to the Europa League play-offs.

The Light Blues must first get past Jagiellonia Białystok of Poland, while Larne are facing Georgian champions Iberia Tbilisi in the third qualifying round.

Larne have won three of the last four Irish Premiership titles and their squad includes Scots Rohan Ferguson, the former Airdrie goalkeeper, and striker Kevin O’Hara, recently of Hamilton.

If Hearts pull off an upset against Benfica, they will face the losers of the Champions League tie between Danish league winners Aarhus and Sabah of Azerbaijan.

If Shamrock Rovers get past Egnatia, they will face Norwegians Lillestrom in the Europa League play-offs.