C
Chris Maduewesi
Guest
Arsenal have been handed a tough draw in the qualifying stages of the UEFA Champions League.
The English side will square up against Turkish opposition,Fenerbahce,for a place in the group stages of the prestigious competition.
Arsenal will first travel to Istanbul for the first leg on August 20-21 and then play the return leg at home on August 27-28.
However,Fenerbahce face an uncertain future in the competition after they were handed a two-year European ban by Uefa over domestic match-fixing in June.
They got themseleves back in the competition pending an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
The final ruling on the case is expected to come up by the end of the month.
But there are raised eyebrows,of what may happen if Fenerbahce loses their appeal,but progresses in the competition;what will now be the fate of Arsenal?
The other stand out draw will see Italian giants AC Milan take on PSV Eindhoven for a place in the last 32.
Draws for the qualifiers:
Dinamo Zagreb vs FK Austria Vienna
Ludogorets vs Basle,
Plzen vs Maribor
Shakhter Karaganda vs Celtic
Steaua Bucuresti vs Legia Warsaw
Lyon vs Real Sociedad
Schalke 04 vs FC Metalist Kharkiv
Pacos Ferreira vs Zenit St Petersburg
PSV vs AC Milan
Fenerbahce vs Arsenal
Continue reading...
The English side will square up against Turkish opposition,Fenerbahce,for a place in the group stages of the prestigious competition.
Arsenal will first travel to Istanbul for the first leg on August 20-21 and then play the return leg at home on August 27-28.
However,Fenerbahce face an uncertain future in the competition after they were handed a two-year European ban by Uefa over domestic match-fixing in June.
They got themseleves back in the competition pending an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
The final ruling on the case is expected to come up by the end of the month.
But there are raised eyebrows,of what may happen if Fenerbahce loses their appeal,but progresses in the competition;what will now be the fate of Arsenal?
The other stand out draw will see Italian giants AC Milan take on PSV Eindhoven for a place in the last 32.
Draws for the qualifiers:
Dinamo Zagreb vs FK Austria Vienna
Ludogorets vs Basle,
Plzen vs Maribor
Shakhter Karaganda vs Celtic
Steaua Bucuresti vs Legia Warsaw
Lyon vs Real Sociedad
Schalke 04 vs FC Metalist Kharkiv
Pacos Ferreira vs Zenit St Petersburg
PSV vs AC Milan
Fenerbahce vs Arsenal
Continue reading...
