Champions League draw - Fri 5th Aug

The draw for the play-off round of the Champions League has given Arsenal a tough test.

Arsenal have been drawn against top Italian side Udinese in the play-off round of the Champions League.It is arguably the toughest draw Arsene Wenger's side could have been handed when the draw was made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.The Gunners were seeded for the draw and will face a two-legged fixture sandwiched between some tough Barclays Premier League matches against Newcastle United, Liverpool and Manchester United.Udinese recovered from a dreadful start - they lost their first four matches and drew the fifth - to finish fourth in Serie A.Fired by 28-goal skipper Antonio di Natale, they won widespread praise for their exciting football and as they secured a place in the Champions League for the first time since 2006.The Gunners had to go into the play-off round after finishing fourth in the Barclays Premier League. Although they were top three for most of the campaign, a late loss of form saw them drop into the play-off position and they now face a battle to reach the group stages for a 14th successive season.Champions Manchester United, runners-up Chelsea and third-placed Manchester City qualify automatically for the lucrative group stages.The first leg will be played at Emirates Stadium on 16th August with the return on 24th August.

Wisła Kraków (POL) v APOEL FC (CYP)
Macabi Haifa FC (ISR) v KRC Genk (BEL)
NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) v Malmö FF (SWE)
FC København (DEN) v FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
FC BATE Borisov (BLR) v SK Sturm Graz (AUT)
Odense BK (DEN) v Villarreal CF (ESP)
FC Twente (NED) v SL Benfica (POR)
Arsenal FC (ENG) v Udinese Calcio (ITA)
FC Bayern München (GER) v FC Zürich (SUI)
Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) v FC Rubin Kazan (RUS)

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