Manchester United may be back in the Champions League but their involvement in the group stage rests on progressing from a tricky two-legged play-off in August.
Louis van Gaal has now learned the final make-up of the 15 sides that will compete in the ‘non-champions’ play-off route, which will see five teams win places in the tournament proper.
As top seeds, United will at least avoid the toughest opposition, with Valencia, Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk joining them in the top tier.
However, that still leaves the likes of Monaco, Sporting Lisbon, Fenerbahce and CSKA Moscow in the mix, while Lazio present another daunting prospect.
The Serie A side, for whom reported United target Felipe Anderson (pictured) currently plays for, defeated Rafael Benitez’s Napoli on Sunday to secure third place in Italy.
Here’s the full list of teams in the play-off draw:
Seeded:
Manchester United
Valencia
Bayer Leverkusen
Shakhtar Donetsk*
Ajax*
Unseeded:
Sporting Lisbon
CSKA Moscow*
Lazio
Club Brugge*
Monaco*
Young Boys*
Sparta Prague*
Fenerbahce*
Panathinaikos*
Rapid Vienna*
*Must play preliminary two-legged tie.
