Liverpool to face Rabotnicki or Mika in Europa League

LONDON, (Reuters) -- New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson returns to the Europa League with a third qualifying-round tie against either Rabotnicki or Mika following Friday's draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Two months after his Fulham side was beaten by Atletico Madrid in the final, Hodgson's first game at Anfield will be the July 29 first leg, with the return in either Armenia or Macedonia on Aug. 5. Rabotnicki won the home first leg of its second qualifying-round tie 1-0 on Thursday.

Juventus will face either Shamrock Rovers or Israel's Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv, which drew its first leg 1-1 in Ireland. The 35 third qualifying round victors join 15 losing sides from the Champions League third qualifying round and 24 direct entrants in the Aug. 6 draw for the playoffs.

The Champions League third-round draw was also made on Friday, with four-times winners Ajax Amsterdam paired with PAOK of Greece and Celtic taking on Portuguese runners-up Braga. Zenit St Petersburg, the 2008 UEFA Cup winner, plays Romania's Unirea Urziceni, while Dynamo Kiev plays Ghent