Arsenal face Turkey’s Fenerbahce in play-off

Aug 10, 2013 |

Arsenal weredrawn on Friday to play Fenerbahce in the Champions League playoffs as they seek a 16th straight season in the lucrative group stage.

However, a pending match-fixing case involving Fenerbahce at the sport’s highest court means the Turkish club could be expelled from the competition even if they win.
Seven-time winners AC Milan was paired in the draw with PSV Eindhoven, the 1988 European champion, with the first match in the Netherlands.
“It’s a classic European cup match-up,” Milan director Umberto Gandini told the Associated Press. “It’s a pleasure to play with such a historical club, and it’s a difficult task.”
Schalke were drawn to play Metalist Kharkiv, who are also threatened with Uefa sanctions for a years-old domestic match-fixing case. The Ukrainian club faces a disciplinary hearing at Uefa on Tuesday.
Among the 10 pairings it was: Lyon vs. Real Sociedad, Pacos de Ferreira vs. Zenit St. Petersburg and newcomer Shakhter Karagandy hosting Celtic. The Scottish champion faces a long trek to Kazakhstan for the first match.
First legs are played August 20 or 21.

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