Dundalk have been handed a very tough Champions League play-off tie after they were paired with Polish champions Legia Warsaw at the draw in Nyon.
Stephen Kenny’s men are just two games away from a place in the hugely lucrative Champions League group stage but will have to beat one of the strongest teams they could have faced.
A stunning 3-0 victory over Champions League regulars BATE earned Dundalk their place in the play-off round and they’ll have to be every bit as impressive against a side that beat St Patrick’s Athletic 6-1 on aggregate three years ago.
The Polish side also famously thrashed Celtic 6-1 on aggregate in a Champions League qualifier two years ago, but were thrown out of the competition on a technicality as they brought on an illegible substitute in the dying stages of the second leg with the tie well out of Celtic's reach.
As first team out of the pot, Dundalk will play the first leg at home in the Aviva Stadium on 17 August with the return leg in Poland on 23 August.
Elsewhere in the draw, Celtic were handed a tie against Israeli side Hapoel Beer-Sheva. Brendan Rodgers' side beat Kazakh team Astana in the third qualifying round.
Meanwhile, Manchester City and new manager Pep Guardiola will be confident of making the group stages after they were drawn to face Steaua Bucharest of Romania.
Elsewhere, other notable ties see Porto, who won the tournament under Jose Mourinho in 2004, face Italian side Roma while Villarreal play Monaco, with the losers set to go into the Europa League.
.@DundalkFC supporters pretty happy with their #ChampionsLeague draw against Legia Warsaw. See @rtenews at 1 and 6. pic.twitter.com/yzLDRT49sR
— Eoin Ryan (@eoinryan101) August 5, 2016
UEFA Champions League Play-Off draw:
Ludogorets v Plzen
Celtic v Hapoel Beer Sheva
FC Copenhagen v Apoel Nicosia
Dundalk v Legia Warsaw
Dinamo Zagreb v FC Salzburg
Steaua Bucuresti v Man City
FC Porto v Roma
Ajax v Rostov
Young Boys v Borussia M'gladbach
Villarreal v Monaco
