Celtic and Rangers could meet familiar foes as Champions League play-off paths revealed
Both Old Firm sides will be at home in the first leg
Celtic could face a familiar foe in their Champions League play-off tie after they were drawn against Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan or Slovakian side SK Slovan Bratislava.
Brendan Rodgers’ side reached the knockout round play-off stage of the competition last season from the 36-team league phase, where they lost 3-2 on aggregate to German giants Bayern Munich. They faced Slovan Bratislava in their first match of the tournament and defeated them 5-1 in Glasgow.
The Slovakians are the favourites to progress past Kairat Almaty and recently added Ukrainian striker Mykola Kuharevich, who spent last season on loan at Hibs.
Celtic began the defence of their William Hill Premiership title with a 1-0 win over St Mirren at Parkhead on Sunday.
Rangers will take on Austrian side Salzburg or Club Brugge of Belgium in the play-off round if they get through their third qualifier against Viktoria Plzen. The Light Blues take on the Czech side in the first leg at Ibrox on Tuesday night.
Rangers have already played Club Brugge this season in a pre-season friendly at Ibrox, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
Russell Martin’s side, who reached the third qualifier with a 3-1 aggregate win over Greek side Panathinaikos, drew 1-1 with Motherwell in their league opener at Fir Park on Saturday.
Both Old Firm clubs are at home for the first leg, which will be played on August 19 or 20. The return fixture will take place on August 26 or 27.
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