Nyon, Switzerland saw the draws for the play-off stage of Champions League and Europa League qualifying. The winners of these ties will move on to compete in the group stages of each competition.
In the Champions League draw, London giants Arsenal were paired with Italian side Udinese, in what is arguably the tie of the round. The Gunners lost out on an automatic route to the group stage when they allowed Manchester City to overtake them in the Premier League last season, with City capturing third place, leaving Arsene Wenger's men lying in fourth. The financial reward for reaching the group stages is something that Arsenal will not want to miss out on.
Another notable side facing a play-off match are German giants Bayern Munich, who were drawn with Swiss runners-up FC Zürich. Spanish side Villareal, who reached the semi finals of the Europa League last season, will play Odense BK of Denmark.
Matches will be played over two legs, on the 16th/17th and 23rd/24th of August.
Matches will be played over two legs, on the 16th/17th and 23rd/24th of August.
UEFA Champions League play-off round full draw
Champions route
Wisła Kraków (POL) v APOEL FC (CYP)
Maccabi Haifa FC (ISR) v KRC Genk (BEL)
NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) v Malmö FF (SWE)
FC København (DEN) v FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
FC BATE Borisov (BLR) v SK Sturm Graz (AUT)
League route
Odense BK (DEN) v Villarreal CF (ESP)
FC Twente (NED) v SL Benfica (POR)
Arsenal FC (ENG) v Udinese Calcio (ITA)
FC Bayern München (GER) v FC Zürich (SUI)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) v FC Rubin Kazan (RUS)
In the Europa League there was one stand out tie in the play-off draw, as Tottenham Hotspur and Hearts were paired in a 'Battle of Britain' clash. Spurs reached the quarter finals of last year's Champions League, losing to Real Madrid, so a match against Hearts, Scotland's third force behind the giants of Celtic and Rangers, is certainly a step down for Harry Redknapp's men. But for the Edinburgh club the match will be one of the biggest events in their recent history, and the rivalry between Scotland and England should make for a very interesting and intriguing game.
Athletico Madrid, winners of the 2010 tournament, will have to overcome Portugese side Vitória de Guimarães if they are to have a chance of lifting the trophy once again. French side Paris Saint-Germain, currently bankrolled by a rich Qatar based investments group, will be confident of beating Greek side Olympiakos Volos, who have been relegated from the Greek Super League for alleged match fixing.
Spanish side Sevilla, who won the old UEFA Cup in both 2006 and 2007, will face a more difficult task than they would have liked, as they were drawn with German side Hannover 96 in one of the other high profile ties.
Athletico Madrid, winners of the 2010 tournament, will have to overcome Portugese side Vitória de Guimarães if they are to have a chance of lifting the trophy once again. French side Paris Saint-Germain, currently bankrolled by a rich Qatar based investments group, will be confident of beating Greek side Olympiakos Volos, who have been relegated from the Greek Super League for alleged match fixing.
Spanish side Sevilla, who won the old UEFA Cup in both 2006 and 2007, will face a more difficult task than they would have liked, as they were drawn with German side Hannover 96 in one of the other high profile ties.
Matches will be played over two legs, on the 18th and 25th of August.
Click here to see the full Europa League play-off draw - http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/Draws/01/65/65/47/1656547_DOWNLOAD.pdf
Click here to see the full Europa League play-off draw - http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/Draws/01/65/65/47/1656547_DOWNLOAD.pdf
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