Milan-PSV tie headlines play-off round draw
Published: Friday 9 August 2013, 12.29CET
FormerEuropean champions AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven will meet in theplay-offs while 1967 winners Celtic FC face Kazakh newcomers FC ShakhterKaragandy.
Seven-time European champions AC Milan will take on 1988 winners PSVEindhoven for a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage followingthe play-off draw in Nyon.
The tie of the round will evoke memories of the sides' 2004/05semi-final which the Rossoneri, the most decorated club in the draw, wonon away goals after a 3-1 second-leg loss featuring a double fromPhillip Cocu (now PSV coach). The following season the teams met in thegroup stage, with PSV drawing 0-0 at San Siro and winning 1-0 at home.
Elsewherein the league route, Portuguese debutants FC Paços de Ferreira tackleFC Zenit St Petersburg, Arsenal FC play Fenerbahçe SK and Real Sociedadde Fútbol make their return to the competition after a decade awayagainst Olympique Lyonnais. The Ligue 1 outfit eliminated La Real 2-0 onaggregate in the 2003/04 first knockout round.
In the championsroute, 1967 victors Celtic FC face a trip into the unknown against FCShakhter Karagandy – the first Kazakh representatives to reach thisstage. FC Basel 1893, UEFA Europa League semi-finalists last term, werepaired with PFC Ludogorets Razgrad.
The first legs take place on20/21 August, with the returns a week later. The ten winners will jointhe 22 automatic entrants in the UEFA Champions League group stage, thedraw for which is held in Monaco on Thursday 29 August. The losers willproceed to the UEFA Europa League group stage. The final will be playedat the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on Saturday 24 May.
UEFA Champions League play-off draw
League route
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) v Real Sociedad de Fútbol (ESP)
FC Schalke 04 (GER) v FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)
FC Paços de Ferreira (POR) v FC Zenit St Petersburg (RUS)
PSV Eindhoven (NED) v AC Milan (ITA)
Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) v Arsenal FC (ENG)
Champions route
GNK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) v FK Austria Wien (AUT)
PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL) v FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE) v NK Maribor (SVN)
FC Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ) v Celtic FC (SCO)
FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU) v Legia Warszawa (POL)
Theparticipation of Fenerbahçe SK and FC Metalist Kharkiv in thecompetition is subject to pending disciplinary and CAS proceedings.
