Europa League Draw 2018-19: Schedule of Dates for Play-off Round Fixtures

The play-off round schedule is set for this season's UEFA Europa League after Monday's draw confirmed the line-up for the next round.

Premier League representatives Burnley first need to beat Istanbul Basaksehir before they advance to the play-offs, where a tough encounter with either Olympiakos of Greece or Swiss team Luzern awaits them.

Scottish champions Celtic will face either Latvian side Spartaks Jurmala or Lithuanian outfit Suduva Marijampole in the next round if they lost to AEK Athens in their UEFA Champions League third-round qualifier.

Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard's Rangers side now know that victory over Slovenia's Maribor in the third qualifying round will set them up against either Russian team Ufa or Luxembourg's Progres in the play-offs.

The 21 winners of the play-off round will qualify for the Europa League group stage and make up the bulk of the pools, though they first need to make their way past the third qualifying round, which begins on Thursday.

Reigning champions Atletico Madrid beat Marseille 3-0 in Lyon to take the crown in May, but they'll be targeting UEFA Champions League success this time around as they return to Europe's first-tier competition.

Here's a look at the fixture schedule for the play-off round's champions path and the route teams will need to tread in order to take their place in the competition. 

2018-19 Europa League Play-Off Draw         

Champions Path

Olimpija Ljubljana/Helsinki vs. Red Star Belgrade/Spartak Trnava

Hapoel Be'er Sheva/APOEL vs. Astana/Dinamo Zagreb

Cork City/Rosenborg vs. Salzburg/Shkendija

Legia Warsaw/F91 Dudelange vs. Alashkert/CFR Cluj

Spartaks Jurmala/Suduva Marijampole vs. Celtic/AEK Athens

Sheriff Tiraspol/Valur vs. Qarabag vs. BATE Borisov

Malmo/Vidi vs. TNS/Midtjylland 

Torpedo Kutaisi/Kukes vs. Ludogorets Razgrad/Zrinjski

UEFA posted a breakdown of the main path's schedule:

All 21 play-off matches will take be held on the same dates, with the first-leg fixtures scheduled for Thursday, August 23, and the return legs set for Thursday, August 30.

The other teams still in with a chance of featuring in the Champions League include Austrian champions Salzburg, Swedish giants Malmo and Croatian title-holders Dinamo Zagreb.

Burnley have a tough task on their hands in the third qualifying round as they take on Istanbul Basaksehir, having edged Aberdeen in extra time in the previous round to advance, via BT Sport (UK only):

The Clarets are the only English club who will feature in this season's Europa League group stage, but Sean Dyche's squad is lacking in depth, particularly after a slow summer transfer window.

Gerrard has an arguably greater task in attempting to lead Rangers past Maribor in the third qualifying round, after which Ufa or Progres will await them.

Progres finished second in Luxembourg's National Division last season, and it wasn't long ago Gerrard's Scottish upstarts fell to the same opposition in this competition:

Ufa finished sixth in the Russian Premier League and could join Zenit St. Petersburg in the next phase if they each manage to advance. Zenit will face Belarusian side Dinamo Minsk in the third qualifying round, having finished fifth in the division last term.