Glasgow: Celtic will face either Slovan Bratislava or Kairat Almaty in the Champions League play-off round. If Rangers, who finished as runners-up in the Scottish Premiership, manage to overcome Viktoria Plzen in the third round of qualifying, they will then encounter either RB Salzburg or Club Brugge. The play-off matches are slated for 19/20 August and 26/27 August, with the victorious teams advancing to the league phase of the competition.
According to BBC, Brendan Rodgers’ team secured three wins and three draws in their league phase matches, ultimately losing narrowly to Bayern Munich in the play-offs for the last 16. Celtic have not previously played against Kairat Almaty, although they have triumphed over other Kazakh teams like Shakhter Karagandy and Astana in 2013 and 2017, respectively. Rangers last participated in the group stage of the tournament in 2022.
Aberdeen have been paired against FCSB of Bucharest or the Kosovan side Drita in the Europa League play-off round. The first leg will be held at Pittodrie on 21 August, with the return fixture scheduled for a week later. The team that loses will move into the Conference League league phase. FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest and the 1986 European Cup winners, were defeated by Shkendija from North Macedonia in the second round of Champions League qualifying and finished 11th in the Europa League table last season.
Meanwhile, Hibernian and Dundee United were placed in the same pot for the Conference League play-off draw. Hibernian will need to surpass Partizan Belgrade to progress, whereas Dundee United will face Rapid Vienna next. Should they advance, Hibernian would play against the losers of the Legia Warsaw versus AEK Larnaca Europa League fixture, while Dundee United would face the winners of the AIK Stockholm versus FC Gyor match. Both teams would start at home in the first legs on 21 August, seeking their first experience of European group-stage football.