Champions League qualifying playoffs draw: Celtic avoid Kairat Almaty rematch

Celtic will face LASK in the Champions League playoffs.

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 Aug. 18 or 19 with the second leg the following week.

UEFA has confirmed Celtic will host the first leg at Celtic Park before travelling to Austria for the return leg against LASK on Aug 25 or 26.

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 playoffs.

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

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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 playoffs.

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 Rangers lose to the Poles, they will face the winners of the tie between Latvians RFS and Czech side Jablonec in the Conference League play-offs. Larne will face the losers of the tie between Omonia and Lincoln Red Imps if they drop down.

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. Defeat against the Portuguese giants would see the Edinburgh side take on the winners of the tie between Rapid Vienna and Estonians Paide in the Conference League play-offs.

Brighton will face the winners of the Conference League tie between Romanians Cluj or Norwegian side Tromso in the play-offs.

Motherwell have German side Freiburg waiting for them in the Conference League play-offs if the Steelmen can get past HJK Helsinki, while Hibernian will play Gothenburg or Gent if they get through against Shkendija.

If Shamrock Rovers get past Egnatia, they will face Norwegians Lillestrom in the Europa League play-offs. Defeat would send the League of Ireland champions into the Conference League to take on the losers of KuPS or Universitatea Craiova.

Also in the Conference League, Shelbourne would face Noah or Sion if they pull off a major shock against Ajax while Bohemians would play Rijeka or Ilves if they get past Midtjylland.

Champions League qualifying playoffs draw

League Path

First leg

Aug. 18-19

Fenerbahce (Turkey) or Sturm Graz (Austria) vs. Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) or Lyon (France)

Olympiakos (Greece) vs. NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands) vs. Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) or Bodø/Glimt (Norway)

Second leg

Aug. 25-26

Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) or Lyon (France) vs. Fenerbahce (Turkey) or Sturm Graz (Austria)

Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) or Bodø/Glimt (Norway) vs. Olympiakos (Greece) vs. NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands)

Champions Path

First leg

Aug. 18-19

Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) or Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan) vs. AEK Athens (Greece)

Celtic (Scotland) vs. LASK (Austria)

Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) or Kauno Zalgiris (Lithuania) vs. Viking (Norway)

Mjällby (Sweden) or Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) vs. Ararat-Armenia (Armenia) or Celje (Slovenia)

Hapoel Beer-Sheva (Israel) or Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) vs. AGF Aarhus (Denmark) or Sabah (Azerbaijan)

Second leg

Aug. 25-26

AEK Athens (Greece) vs. Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) or Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan)

LASK (Austria) vs. Celtic (Scotland)

Viking (Norway) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) or Kauno Zalgiris (Lithuania)

Ararat-Armenia (Armenia) or Celje (Slovenia) vs. Mjällby (Sweden) or Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)

AGF Aarhus (Denmark) or Sabah (Azerbaijan) vs. Hapoel Beer-Sheva (Israel) or Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)

PA and Associated Press contributed to this report.