Champions League play-off draw: Celtic to play Helsingborgs

CELTIC have been drawn against Swedish side Helsingborgs in the play-offs for the Champions League group stages.

The Parkhead side will play the first game away on August 21 with the return match at Parkhead on August 29.

Helsingborg had booked their place in the third qualifying round with a 3-0 aggregate win over Welsh side The New Saints.

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Age Hareide’s side were forced to settle for a goalless draw away to the Welsh champions in the first leg.

Victories home and away against HJK Helsinki saw Celtic achieve a 4 - 1 aggregate victory over the Finnish outfit and gained them a place in today’s draw in Switzerland.

As champions, the Parkhead side were seeded meaning that they avoided many of the big names in the draw from England, Germany and Italy.

Celtic last made the Champions League group stages back in 2009/09 under Gordon Strachan.

Helsingborgs won the competitive Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top league, last season, despite losing several key players the previous summer.

Celtic legend Henrik Larsson enjoyed two successful stints at the club, in 1992-93 and at the end of his career when he was signed by former manager Stuart Baxter in 2006.