In Geneva on Friday morning, the draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League took place, and the Premiership's third and fourth place finishers from last season were handed interesting ties.

With the Blues and Magpies both seeded for the draw, they were always going to miss the likes of Rangers, Celta Vigo, Deportivo la Coruna, Lazio and Marseille, but with Celtic, Benfica and Irish side Bohemians in the other half of the draw, it could have set up a very tough match for one of our boys.

However, as it was, it's still going to be far from easy for Chelsea and Newcastle. Ranieri's men could be on their way back to Israel, where they were knocked out of the UEFA Cup two season's ago. They will face the winners from Slovakian outfit MSK Zilina or Maccabi Tel-Aviv, neighbours of their 2001 conquerors, Hapoel.

Newcastle also face a difficult trip to Serbia & Montenegro should Partizan Belgrade overcome Swedish side Djurgardens IF in the Second Qualifying Round. 

A place in the Champions League elite group of 32 clubs awaits the winner of the two legged ties.

The full draw for the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League is as follows;

CSKA Moscow or Vardar v Sparta Prague
MTK Hungaria or HJK Helsinki v FBK Kaunas or Celtic
Rangers v FC Copenhagen or Sliema Wanderers
Austria Vienna v Marseille
Club Brugge v Borussia Dortmund
Sheriff Tiraspol or Shakhtar Donetsk v Lokomotiv Mosow
Lazio v Benfica
Dynamo Kiev v Maribor or Dinamo Zagreb
Bohemians or Rosenborg v Deportivo La Coruna
Grasshoppers v AEK Athens
MSK Zilina or Maccabi Tel-Aviv v Chelsea
Celta Vigo v Leotar or Slavia Prague
Partizan Belgrade or Djurgarden v Newcastle
Galatasaray v Pyunik or CSKA Sofia
Rapid Bucuresti or Anderlecht v Wisla Krakow or Omonia Nicosia
SK Tirana or Graz AK v Ajax

First Leg ties will be played August 12/13.
Second Leg ties will be played August 26/27.