Uefa confirm Celtic Champions League playoff round fixture dates as Slovan Bratislava or Kairat Almaty await
Celtic's Champions League playoff fixture dates have been confirmed by UEFA.
The Hoops discovered on Monday that they'll face either Slovan Bratislava or Kairat Almaty for a place in the group stages.
Slovakian cracks Slovan and Kazakh champs Kairat will go head-to-head in the third round, with the first leg taking place tomorrow night.
Brendan Rodgers' side will know their fate for sure next Tuesday, when the decisive return leg is played in Slovakia.
But UEFA have already locked in the dates for the final qualifying round - with Celtic set to play the first leg at home.
The Parkhead showdown is pencilled in for Wednesday, August 20, with the return in either Bratislava or Almaty scheduled for Tuesday, August 26.
Both ties will kick off at 8pm UK time.
The Hoops battered Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in Glasgow last season as they finished 21st in the Champions League rankings.
They've never faced Kairat Almaty before, but have come out on top against Kazakh opposition in the past, beating Shakhter Karagandy in 2013 and Astana in 2017.
Rodgers' men won three and drew three of their league phase matches last term, only missing out on the last 16 after taking Bayern Munich to the final kick in the play-off knockouts.
Meanwhile, the four-in-a-row champions have the option to postpone their Premiership clash with Livingston on Saturday, August 23, after an SPFL rule change aimed at helping Scottish clubs go further in Europe.
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