4 hours Ago By Matthew Elder
Celtic have discovered who they will face in the Champions League play-off round but their fans face being locked out of the away leg after Uefa launched disciplinary proceedings against the club. Brendan Rodgers' side qualified for the knockout stages after claiming a 21st placed finish in the overall league standings with 12 points from their eight league phase fixtures. With the draw partly predetermined based on final league position, Celtic were already aware that they would be facing a blockbuster tie against either Real Madrid on Bayern Munich in the play-off round.
And following Friday's draw at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, the Scottish champions now know that it is the German giants who will stand between them and a place in the last 16. Bayern will travel to Celtic Park for the first leg on either Tuesday, February 11 or Wednesday, February 12 with the second leg taking place at the Allianz Arena in Munich one week later, either Tuesday, February 18, or Wednesday, February 19. Uefa hope to have exact dates and kick-off times confirmed by close of play on Friday.
However, the prospect of Celtic fans being able to follow their team in Germany have diminished considerably after the club confirmed it has been served with a Uefa disciplinary notice for incidents which took place during the 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa on Wednesday. A smoke bomb was thrown onto the pitch in the aftermath of one of Celtic goals, which were both scored by Adam Idah, with offensive banners and chanting also coming under scrutiny. Celtic were handed a suspended ban on selling tickets to away fans after the use of pyrotechnics during their match against Borussia Dortmund in October pending any further breaches.
That ban could now be imposed and Celtic have warned fans against booking travel to Munich until UEFA sanctions are confirmed. A club statement read: "As a result of the use of pyrotechnics during our match against Borussia Dortmund last year, Celtic Football Club was sanctioned by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body. "The decision meant that, not only did the Club receive a fine of €20,000, but also that, if such behaviour was repeated at a match in the next two years, the Club would be prevented from selling tickets to supporters for one away match in UEFA club competitions.
"Unfortunately, the club has received a further disciplinary notice from UEFA following the match against Aston Villa FC on Wednesday evening. "The Club will obviously make robust representations to UEFA and will make every effort to ensure that our fans can attend our next UEFA Champions League match. However, clearly there is a risk that supporters may not be able to attend.
In light of this situation, it is incumbent on the club to make supporters aware of this risk, when considering making arrangements for travel, until further information is provided by UEFA." Celtic will be underdogs against a Bayern side who currently lead the German Bundesliga, are managed by Vincent Kompany and have England captain Harry Kane leading their attack. Should Celtic upset the odds and make it past the six-time European champions, they will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the last 16.
Here is the full Champions League play-off round draw: Club Brugge v Atalanta Sporting Lisbon v Borussia Dortmund Manchester City v Real Madrid Celtic v Bayern Munich Juventus v PSV Feyenoord v AC Milan Brest v Paris Saint-German Monaco v Benfica.
