Celtic, the Scottish club, will face Stuttgart in a Europa League play-off tie after being drawn against them. The Hoops booked their spot in the competition with a 4-2 win against Utrecht in the final round of qualifying, securing 21st place in the league phase table. Martin O'Neill's side could have been drawn against Hungarian club Ferencvaros, managed by Robbie Keane, but will instead face the Bundesliga club.
The first leg at Celtic Park will be a crucial moment for Celtic as they seek to overcome their German opponents and progress to the last 16 of the competition. They beat Stuttgart in that run to the final four years ago and assistant coach Shaun Maloney scored the winning goal in a 5-4 aggregate win.
"It's going to be tough, but it's a great game," said Maloney. "It'll be brilliant for our supporters."
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, will face Fenerbahce in their Europa League play-off tie after being drawn against them. The Trammps earned a home tie in the second leg of the play-off against Greek side Panathinaikos.
The play-off games will take place on 19 and 26 February, with Celtic and Stuttgart set to face off first. If Forest can overcome Fenerbahce, they will face Midtjylland or Real Betis in the next round.
The top eight teams from the league phase have already qualified for the last 16 of the competition, including Lyon, Aston Villa, Midtjylland, Real Betis, Porto, Braga, Freiburg, and Roma.
The first leg at Celtic Park will be a crucial moment for Celtic as they seek to overcome their German opponents and progress to the last 16 of the competition. They beat Stuttgart in that run to the final four years ago and assistant coach Shaun Maloney scored the winning goal in a 5-4 aggregate win.
"It's going to be tough, but it's a great game," said Maloney. "It'll be brilliant for our supporters."
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, will face Fenerbahce in their Europa League play-off tie after being drawn against them. The Trammps earned a home tie in the second leg of the play-off against Greek side Panathinaikos.
The play-off games will take place on 19 and 26 February, with Celtic and Stuttgart set to face off first. If Forest can overcome Fenerbahce, they will face Midtjylland or Real Betis in the next round.
The top eight teams from the league phase have already qualified for the last 16 of the competition, including Lyon, Aston Villa, Midtjylland, Real Betis, Porto, Braga, Freiburg, and Roma.