Arsenal to face Fenerbahce in Champions League play-off

Arsenal have been handed a difficult draw in the Champions League play-offs as they will take on Turkish club Fenerbahce.

Celtic will play Shakhter Karagandy, who have reached this stage for the first time.

The first legs will take place on August 20 and 21 with the second the following week. It will mean Arsenal will have a packed schedule in the opening two weeks of the season with four games in ten days.

Fenerbahce are awaiting a final ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over whether they will be allowed to go into the competition proper this season, having been banned from competing in Europe by UEFA for match-fixing in domestic competition.

They have challenged that ruling and a CAS verdict is due before the group stage draw is made, but home and away matches against Arsenal stand to go ahead before that decision arrives.

UEFA said no decision has yet been made regarding what would happen in the event of Fenerbahce winning the tie and losing their CAS appeal.

With no precedent in a case such as this, UEFA will wait until after the CAS ruling, and therefore after the tie with Arsenal, before deciding whether to keep them in the competition.

Neither Santi Cazorla or Laurent Koscielny will be available for Arsenal as both are suspended.