Celtic to play Dynamo Moscow in Champions League

Former European champions Celtic will play Dynamo Moscow in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, announced here on Friday.

UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine will clash with Romanian debutants FC Timisoara, while Anderlecht are up against newcomers Sivasspor from Turkey.

Sparta Prague and Panathinaikos come face to face and Portugal’s Sporting take on FC Twente of the Netherlands.

Under UEFA’s new seeding pattern for the tournament, clubs which do not qualify directly into the group stage have two ways of reaching the core part of the competition.

One way is destined for teams progressing from the second qualifying round, being played currently.

The other, known as the “best placed path” is for the remainder – named in the ties on July 28/29 and August 4/5.

The winners of the five best-placed path ties will face one of Arsenal, Lyon, Stuttgart, Fiorentina and Atletico Madrid in the play-off round.

For Celtic, their July 29 home game against the Muscovites will be new manager Tony Mowbray’s first competitive game in charge.

The Russian side finished third in the league last season, while they sit seventh in the current campaign after 13 matches of the Russian season.

The last time Celtic played Russian opposition was two years ago when they faced Spartak Moscow in a similar stage of European club football’s showpiece tournament.

After a 1-1 draw in the Russian capital, the sides fought out a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park, with the Hoops progressing to the group stages of the competition following a dramatic penalty shoot-out, with Artur Boruc the hero on the night.

Champions League 3rd rd fixtures

Best-placed path draw:

(First leg: July 28/29; Second leg: August 4/5)

Sparta Prague (CZE) v Panathinaikos (GRE)

Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Timisoara (ROM)

Sporting (POR) v FC Twente (NED)

Celtic (SCO) v Dynamo Moscow (RUS)

Anderlecht (BEL) v Sivasspor (TUR)

Champions path draw:

Salzburg (AUT) or Bohemian (IRL) v FC Pyunik (ARM) or Dynamo Zagreb (CRO)

Zrinjski (BIH) or Slovan Bratislava (SVK) v Olympiakos (GRE)

FC Zurich (SUI) v WIT Georgia (GEO) or NK Maribor (SLO)

EB/Streymur (FAR) or Apoel (CYP) v Rhyl (WAL) or Partizan (SRB)

International Turku (FIN) or Sheriff (MDA) v Slavia Prague (CZE)

Hafnarfjordur (ISL) or Aktobe (KAZ) v Maccabi Haifa (ISR) or Glentoran (NIR)

Ekranas (LTU) or FK Baku (AZE) v Levski Sofia (BUL) or Sant Julia (AND)

Ventspils (LVA) or Dudelange (LUX) v Makedonija Skopje (MKD) or Bate Borisov (BLR)

Wisla Krakow (POL) or Levadia Tallinn (EST) v Debreceni (HUN) or Kalmar (SWE)

FC Copenhagen (DEN) or FK Mogren (MNE) v Tirana (ALB)