English Premier League side Liverpool have been handed a tough match against Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in the Champions League playoff round, following the draw made by UEFA on Friday. Newly signed Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah will start his European mission with the Reds in the UEFA Champions League against Hoffenheim away from home on 15-16 August, while the second leg will be played in England on 22-23 August. The winners of the 10 ties will join 22 teams that have qualified directly for the group stage which will be played between September and December. The former Basel, Chelsea and Fiorentina forward scored four goals with Liverpool so far during the summer camp in four appearances in friendly games. The Egyptian joined Liverpool from AS Roma in the summer, returning to the Premier League with a point to prove after an unhappy two-year spell with Chelsea. The Pharaohs star enjoyed a highly successful term with Roma last season, helping them finish as runners-up in the Serie A, behind champions Juventus.
Draw made Friday for the Champions League playoffs: (First-leg matches, Aug. 15-16; Second-leg matches, Aug. 22-23) Champions route: Qarabag (Azerbaijan) vs. Copenhagen (Denmark) Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus) vs. Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) Olympiakos (Greece) vs. HNK Rijeka (Croatia) Celtic (Scotland) vs. Astana (Kazakhstan) League route: Istanbul Basaksehir (Turkey) vs. Sevilla (Spain) Young Boys (Switzerland) vs. CSKA Moscow (Russia) Napoli (Italy) vs. Nice (France) Hoffenheim (Germany) vs. Liverpool (England) Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) vs. Steaua Bucharest (Romania) (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
