Celtic drawn to face Helsingborg in Champions League play-off

Neil Lennon's men will play Helsingborg for a spot in the Champions League group stages.SNS Group

Celtic have been drawn against Swedish side Helsingborg in the play-off round of the Champions League.

If the Hoops win the tie then they will reach the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in four seasons.

Neil Lennon’s men booked their place after beating HJK Helsinki 4-1 on aggregate in the third round while their opponents beating The New Saints 3-0 on aggregate before an impressive 6-1 thumping of Slask Wroclaw in the third qualifying round.

Celtic hero Henrik Larsson famously had two spells with the Swedes between 1992-93 and 2006-09.

Former Rangers midfielder Alejandro Bedoya recently signed for the club following an unsuccessful year at Ibrox.

Because the Swedish league is played in the summer months, the club are in the competition based on their league win in the 2010-11 season. This term they haven’t fared so well and are languishing in sixth position just after the halfway stage,

Following the departure of Conny Karlsson in June, former Norway manager Age Hareide took charge of the side on a short-term basis until the end of the Allsvenkan season.

An experience campaigner, Hariede was in the dugout when Scotland drew with Norway and Chris Iwelumo missed that chance.

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