Five-time European champion Liverpool will play Toulouse for a place in the Champions League.
Liverpool, which lost last season's final to AC Milan, was pitched against the French side in yesterday's draw for the third qualifying round at UEFA's headquarters.
Arsenal, last year's runner-up, also got a tough match when it was drawn against Sparta Prague.
The 16 third-round qualifying matches will be played on Aug. 14 and 15 and Aug. 28 and 29. The winners will enter the draw for the group stage on Aug. 30.
Draw list (home teams in first leg listed first):
* Hafnarfjordur (Iceland)-BATE Borisov (Belarus) winner vs. Zaglebie Lubin (Poland)-FC Steaua Bucharest (Romania) winner.
* Tampere United (Finland)-Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) winner vs. Astana (Kazakhstan)-Rosenborg (Norway) winner.
* Spartak Moscow (Russia) vs. Celtic FC (Scotland).
* Werder Bremen (Germany) vs. Domzale (Slovenia)-Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) winner.
* FK Ventspils (Latvia)-Salzburg (Austria) winner vs. Pyunik (Armenia)-Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) winner.
* AFC Ajax (Netherlands) vs. MSK Zilina (Slovakia)-SK Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) winner.
* Valencia CF (Spain) vs. Debreceni (Hungary)-Elfsborg (Sweden) winner.
* Genk (Belgium)-Sarajevo (Bosnia Herzegovina) winner vs. Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine).
* Fenerbahce (Turkey) vs. RSC Anderlecht (Belgium).
* Rangers (Scotland)-Zeta (Montenegro) winner vs. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)-Levadia Tallinn (Estonia) winner.
* Toulouse FC (Italy) vs. Liverpool FC (England).
* Benfica (Portugal) vs. FC Copenhagen (Denmark)-Beitar Jerusalem (Israel) winner.
* Lazio (Italy) vs. Dinamo Bucharest (Romania).
* Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) vs. Arsenal (England).
* FC Zurich (Switzerland) vs. Sheriff (Moldova)-Besiktas (Turkey) winner.
* Sevilla (Spain) vs. AEK Athens (Greece).
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