26 . A total of 10 pairings were drawn with the prize for the winners a place in the lucrative group stages of the world 's most prestigious club competition . The losers will drop down to play in the Europa League , formerly the UEFA Cup . Five of the pairings feature match-ups between the champions of lower-rated leagues such as Latvia and Cyprus . European governing body UEFA effectively ring fenced five places in the group stages for these sides by separating them in the draw from teams from stronger leagues such as England , Italy and Spain . It has led to a series of intriguing clashes with Panathinaikos of Greece facing Spanish side Atletico Madrid . Portugal 's Sporting Lisbon take on Fiorentina of Italy , deposed French champions Lyon play Anderlecht of Belgium and Romainian side Timisoara face Stuttgart of Germany . Timisoara surprisingly beat Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukraine in the previous qualifying round . Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup last season and will now be able to defend their title under the guise of the revamped Europa League . They were paired against Turkish side Sivasspor when the draw for the competition was
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Arsenal will face Celtic in a mouthwatering all-British tie later this month to decide who reaches the Champions League group stages . Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will see his side face an early-season test against Celtic . Scottish side Celtic went into the final qualifying round with a superb 2-0 away win over Dinamo Moscow earlier this week , overturning a 1-0 deficit from the first leg . Arsenal , who reached the semifinals of the Champions League last season where they lost to Manchester United , will be favorites to go through , but according to their former striker Charlie Nicholas , who also played for the Celtic , they will not be relishing the task . `` They would have wanted to avoid each other , '' he told Sky Sports News . `` For Arsenal , the concern is the lack of players they 've brought in and injuries . I think it will be very tight . '' The first leg matches will be played on August 18 and 19 , the same week as the start of the English Premier League season , the return matches are on August 25 or