Champions League draw: McClaren's FC Twente to face Arsenal

Arsenal will face former England boss Steve McClaren's FC Twente in the Champions League third qualifying round this month.Liverpool were paired with Belgian former European powerhouse Standard Liege and Rangers or FBK Kaunas will play either Danish club Aalborg or Bosnians Modrica.

Irish champions Drogheda will take on Spartak Moscow if they reverse a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kiev.

The British clubs managed to avoid Spain’s Atletico Madrid, the strongest of the unseeded teams, as they were paired with German outfit Schalke.

McClaren took the reins at the Dutch side earlier this summer and the Eredivisie outfit will make their Champions League debut after beating Ajax in a play-off last season.

Arsenal company secretary David Miles said: ‘We will be pleased with the draw; logistically Holland isn’t too far and it will give our fans the opportunity to see the game.

‘As you rightly say it’s a reunion with Steve, and we are looking forward to it.

‘When Steve was first-team coach for the national team and then manager they used to use our training ground (at London Colney) so there are good relations there.’

Asked whether he thought McClaren would be disappointed to have landed such a tough draw, Miles added: ‘I’m assuming people will say Arsenal are one of the strongest seeded teams and he might have been hoping for someone else, but that’s what the draw brought us and we get on with it.’

McClaren may not be the only British coach returning to the United Kingdom in the competition.

Former Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch is currently in charge of Aalborg, the 2008 Danish SuperLiga champions. Assuming their 5-0 first-leg lead over Modrica after the first leg is enough to progress, former Scotland captain Rioch will be faced with a trip to Ibrox to face Rangers.

Elsewhere in the draw Galatasaray were paired with Steaua Bucharest, Fiorentina will play Slavia Prague, Barcelona will play either Beitar Jerusalem or Wisla Krakow and Juventus face Tampere United or Artmedia Bratislava.

Champions League third qualifying round draw: Ties will be played on August 12/13 or August 26/27.

Anorthosis Famagusta/Rapid Vienna v Olympiacos

Vitoria Guimaraes v IFK Gothenburg/FC Basle

Shakhtar Donetsk v NK Domzale/Dinamo Zagreb

Schalke v Atletico Madrid

Aalborg/FK Modrica v Rangers/Kaunas

Barcelona v Beitar Jerusalem/Wisla Krakow

Levski Sofia v Anderlecht/BATE

Standard Liege v Liverpool

Inter Baku/FK Partizan v Fenerbahce/MTK Budapest

FC Twente v Arsenal

Spartak Moscow v Drogheda/Dinamo Kiev

Juventus v Tampere/Artmedia

Brann/Ventspils v Marseille

Fiorentina v Slavia Prague

Galatasaray v Steaua Bucharest

Panathinaikos/Dinamo Tbilisi v Sheriff Tiraspol/Sparta Prague