Liverpool to play Hoffenheim in Champions League play-off round as Celtic face nightmare trip to Astana- Liverpool news: All the latest from Anfield
- Liverpool drawn against Hoffenheim in Champions League final play-off round
- The first legs are scheduled for August 15-16 and the return legs on August 22-23
- Scottish champions Celtic were drawn against FC Astana in Champions Route
Liverpool have been drawn against German club Hoffenheim in the Champions League play-off round while Celtic face a nightmare journey to Kazakhstan to face FC Astana.The first legs will be played on August 15-16 with the return ties taking place on August 22-23. Jurgen Klopp's men facing a home tie against Crystal Palace between the two fixtures.
As a seeded club, Liverpool will enjoy the advantage of playing the deciding leg at Anfield while Celtic were unseeded and will thus play away from Parkhead in the second leg.
The journey will be the most pressing detail for Brendan Rodgers, however, as his squad face an 8,000-mile round journey to the Kazakhstani capital with a Premiership away tie against Kilmarnock sandwiched in between.
Jurgen Klopp's men avoided a reunion with former striker Mario Balotelli, who faces a return to Serie A after his Nice side were drawn against Napoli in what constitutes the tie of the round.
Hoffenheim will be looking to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history when they face the Premier League side. They finished fourth in the Bundesliga in what was their best ever season, just two points off Borussia Dortmund.
Liverpool will, at least, be familiar with the surroundings as they enjoyed three pre-season fixtures and a training camp in Germany. The Reds beat Hertha Berlin and Bayern Munich before losing the Atletico Madrid on penalties at the Allianz Arena.
Their top scorer of the previous campaign, Andrej Kramaric, was once Leicester City's record transfer but failed to make an impact in the Premier League. He scored 15 Bundesliga goals in a rejuvenating campaign for his career.
While Liverpool will go into the tie as favourites, Klopp will be aware that Hoffenheim went unbeaten at home throughout the 2016/17 campaign, winning 11 and drawing six on their way to their highest ever finish.
The winner stands to boost their coffers by around £50million by making it into the group stage proper while progression into the latter stages could see them earn even more.
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