Soccer Games: Linfield handed Belarus test

Northern Irish champions Linfield have been drawn against BATE Borisov of Belarus in the second-round qualifying of the Champions League.

The IFA Premiership winners face a two-legged affair against BATE, who are the only Belarusian side to reach the group stages of Europe's top club competition and made the last-32 of the Europa League last season. With this in mind, the Champions League betting odds suggest it will be a tough tie.

The first match will take place at Windsor Park in Belfast on July 12/13, with the second leg in Borisov on July 19/20.

Meanwhile, League of Ireland Premier Division winners Shamrock Rovers have been paired with Estonian side FC Flora Tallinn.

Welsh Premier League champions Bangor City will face a trip to Finland in the first leg of their qualifying tie, with HJK Helsinki their opponents.

Other stand out ties include Swedish team Malmo, European Cup finalists in 1979, up against HB Torshavn of the Faroe Islands, while Sturm Graz, who have reached the group stages on two occasions, face Videoton FC of Hungary.

There will be two first qualifying round fixtures taking place on June 28/29 and June and July 5/6. SP Tre Fiori of San Marino take on Valletta of Malta, while FC Santa Coloma of Andorra come up against Luxemburg’s F91 Dudelange.

SPL champions Rangers will enter the competition at the third qualifying round, while Arsenal will be one of the seeded teams for the play-off round, after finishing fourth in the Premier League.

The group stages of this season's Champions League will start on September 13, with this year's final held in Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 19.