Champions League 2013/14

[Lineker]

Turkish sides Fenerbahce and Besiktas have been banned from competing in Europe by Uefa for their involvement in domestic match-fixing. Fenerbahce have been handed a two-year ban and will miss this season's Champions League, where they were due to enter in the third qualifying round. A third year has been suspended over a five-year probation period.

Besiktas have to drop out of the Europa League after receiving a one-year ban from the football governing body.

Romanian side Steaua Bucharest have also been handed a suspended one-year ban for a breach of Champions League participation regulations.

[Cheeky Hughes]

Manchester City to oh who am I kidding we won't even make it out of the group stage.

[Lineker]

Celtic have agreed to swap the venue for the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Cliftonville. It had been scheduled for Celtic Park on 17 July but will now take place at Solitude in Belfast. The return leg in Glasgow will be played on 23 July. The tie will be shown live on BBC Scotland and BBC Northern Ireland..

[METALMAN]

Celtic in Belfast, lol

[hugobomb]

Wrong bloody thread, didn't realise Linfield were in the Europa league this year

And that someone had already posted about it in the Europa League thread.

Way to go Hugo

[Lineker]

Friday's draw pitted FC Nordsjælland against FC Zenit St Petersburg and debutants SV Zulte Waregem against ex-winners PSV Eindhoven in the third qualifying round.

Last season's group stage contenders FC Nordsjælland and FC Zenit St Petersburg will play each other in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round following the Nyon draw on Friday, which also pitted debutants SV Zulte Waregem against 1987/88 European Champion Clubs' Cup winners PSV Eindhoven.

Nordsjælland enjoyed their first campaign in the competition proper last term, finishing bottom of a section containing Juventus, FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Chelsea FC, and against the Russian Premier League runners-up they will have a fight on their hands to return. UEFA Cup winners in 2008, Zenit have been in the group stage for the last two seasons.

Belgium's Zulte Waregem have just one previous European expedition under their belts, making it to the UEFA Cup round of 32 in 2006/07, and have the toughest of tests to proceed to the play-offs having been drawn against PSV who defeated SL Benfica in Stuttgart in 1988 to lift the European title.

Olympique Lyonnais rejoin the fray after their ten successive UEFA Champions League appearances came to an end last year – Switzerland's Grasshopper Club will welcome them back.

Former continental champions Celtic FC will take on IF Elfsborg or FC Daugava Daugavpils should they finish off Cliftonville FC in their second qualifying round second leg, while 1985/86 winners FC Steaua Bucureşti will play FC Dinamo Tbilisi or EB/Streymur if they get past FK Vardar.

UEFA Europa League semi-finalists last term, FC Basel 1893, who advanced as far as the round of 16 in 2011/12, face Győri ETO FC or Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC while quarter-finalists that same year APOEL FC must overcome Birkirkara FC or NK Maribor to enter the play-offs.

The third qualifying round unfolds over two legs on 30/31 July and 6/7 August. The 15 victorious sides will be two games away from the group stage, with the 20 teams on the champions route to be drawn against one another in the play-offs. Arsenal FC, AC Milan, FC Schalke 04, Real Sociedad de Fútbol and FC Paços de Ferreira await the five clubs that progress through the league route.

Third qualifying round draw (30/31 July, 6/7 August)

Champions route

FC Basel 1893 (SUI) v Győri ETO FC (HUN)/Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)

Sligo Rovers FC (IRL)/Molde FK (NOR) v The New Saints FC (WAL)/Legia Warszawa (POL)

ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)/PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL) v FC Shirak (ARM)/FK Partizan (SRB)

FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)/EB/Streymur (FRO) v FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)/FK Vardar (MKD)

APOEL FC (CYP) v Birkirkara FC (MLT)/NK Maribor (SVN)

Celtic FC (SCO)/Cliftonville FC (NIR) v IF Elfsborg (SWE)/FC Daugava Daugavpils (LVA)

FC BATE Borisov (BLR)/FC Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ) v Neftçi PFK (AZE)/KS Skënderbeu (ALB)

FK Austria Wien (AUT) v FK Ekranas (LTU)/FH Hafnarfjördur(ISL)

HJK Helsinki (FIN)/JK Nõmme Kalju (EST) v FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)/FK Željezničar (BIH)

CS Fola Esch (LUX)/GNK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) v FC Sheriff (MDA)/FK Sutjeska (MNE)

League route

FC Nordsjælland (DEN) v FC Zenit St Petersburg (RUS)

FC Salzburg (AUT) v Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)

PAOK FC (GRE) v FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)

PSV Eindhoven (NED) v SV Zulte Waregem (BEL)

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) v Grasshopper Club (SUI)

* The participation of Fenerbahçe SK in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League and/or 2013/14 UEFA Europa League is subject to the final decision of the CAS.

[Baddar]

C'mon TNS!

[Lineker]

So, Celtic won 1-0. Kris Commons with the goal.

[Lineker]

The playoff round draw will be on Eurosport at 11am tomorrow.

UEFA Champions League play-off round draw lineup

League route

Arsenal FC (ENG)

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)

AC Milan (ITA)

FC Schalke 04 (GER)

FC Zenit St Petersburg (RUS)

PSV Eindhoven (NED)

FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)

Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)

Real Sociedad de Fútbol (ESP)

FC Paços de Ferreira (POR)

Champions route

FC Basel 1893 (SUI)

Celtic FC (SCO)

FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)

FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)

GNK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)

FK Austria Wien (AUT)

Legia Warszawa (POL)

NK Maribor (SVN)

PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL)

FC Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ)

[stokeriño]

Arsenal v Fenerbahce. Nice.

PSV v AC Milan is the other standout I'd say.

[therockbox]

Couldn't Fenerbahce still be kicked out?

[Kaney]

Who have Celtic drawn?

Never mind just seen. Shakhtar Karagandy? Should be doabe, right?

[Lineker]

Couldn't Fenerbahce still be kicked out?

They could. UEFA say they don't know what they'll do if this happens. Super!

[Lineker]

Ukraine club Metalist Kharkiv have been expelled from the Champions League by Uefa following a match-fixing inquiry.

Metalist were due to face German side Schalke next Wednesday in the first leg of the competition's play-off round.

However, they could be temporarily reinstated if they appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

Metalist were charged by Uefa last week after Cas upheld a five-year ban against sporting director Yevhen Krasnikov for alleged match-fixing.

The ban, by the Ukrainian Football Federation, was for alleged involvement in the fixing of a 2008 Ukrainian league match with Karpaty Lwiw.

Uefa has disqualified the club from European competitions for the 2013-14 season but if Metalist submit an urgent appeal to Cas, the court can suspend sanctions, allowing the club's debut Champions League campaign to continue.

If the side fails to be reinstated, their place against Schalke could go to Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki, who they beat in the third qualifying round last week.

Uefa says its emergency panel will meet later on Wednesday "to consider the consequences of the decision".

Arsenal's Champions League play-off opponents Fenerbahce were banned from competing in Europe in June for their involvement in domestic match-fixing but have appealed to Cas.

Cas says a final decision in that case will be made by 28 August, after the second leg of the play-off, but Uefa says no decision has yet been made regarding what would happen if Fenerbahce won the tie and lost their appeal.

[Lineker]

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger receives some welcome news as five players feared to have contracted injuries at the weekend reported for training. Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky all hurt themselves during Arsenal's shock 3-1 loss at home to Aston Villa on the opening day of the Premier League season on Saturday, but were able to train on Tuesday morning. Arsenal will hope to have all five players at their disposal when they visit Turkish side Fenerbahce for the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie on Wednesday.

Also, Celtic vs. Shakhter Karagandy is on ITV4 today, with coverage starting at 1545. They've actually had 30 fans travel over!

[Lineker]

Celtic team to face Shakhter Karagandy (16:00 BST): Forster, Lustig, Mouyokolo, Van Dijk, Izaguirre, Forrest, Brown, Ledley, Mulgrew, Commons, Samaras. Substitutes: Zaluska, Amido, Kayal, Stokes, Rogic, Matthews, Ambrose.

[Lineker]

...and Karagandy are winning. Tap in off of a long throw.

[Kaney]

Pathetic.

[Colly]

Who are you to doubt Shakhter Karagandy?

[Dan]

2-0!