NYON, Switzerland: Napoli, bidding to reach the Champions League group stage for the third time and the second in a row, were handed a daunting tie against Athletic Bilbao in the draw for the playoff round on Friday.

Arsenal, hoping to qualify for the 17th consecutive season, must face Turkey’s Besiktas and twice former champions Porto were also handed a difficult draw as they were paired against Lille, with the French club at home the first leg.

Rafael Benitez’s Napoli finished third in Serie A last season, only enough for a place in the playoff round after Italy slipped down the national coefficients which determine how many places each league gets in the tournament.

“Among the five possible opponents, with Athletic we have been landed with the most difficult,” Benitez said.

“They’re a team who play good football and, at home, the 50,000 at San Mames give them a big push. It will be a very good, and very intense game.”

Napoli also won the Coppa Italia and were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League in Benitez’s first season in charge.

The performance was regarded as no more than satisfactory and he will be expected to improve on that showing this term with one of the most expensive squads in Serie A.

Bilbao, fourth in La Liga, were beaten Europa League finalists in 2012.

If Napoli fail to beat Bilbao, Italy will be left with only two representatives, Juventus and AS Roma, in the group stage.

Arsenal also met Turkish opposition at the same stage last season when they beat Fenerbahce 5-0 on aggregate over two legs.

The first legs will be played on Aug. 19/20 with the returns on Aug. 26/27.

Scottish champions Celtic, reprieved after third qualifying round opponents Legia Warsaw fielded an ineligible player in their 6-1 aggregate win, will meet Slovenian champions Maribor.

Former European champions Steaua Bucharest were paired with Bulgaria’s Ludogorets Razgrad while Cypriot champions APOEL Nicosia, who reached the quarter-finals two seasons ago, were drawn against Danish counterparts AaB Aalborg.

Malmo, runners-up in 1979, play Austrian champions Salzburg, who are attempting to reach the group stage for the first time since Red Bull’s takeover in 2005.

FC Copenhagen will meet Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, Belgium’s Standard Liege face Zenit St. Petersburg and Slovan Bratislava play Belarusian champions BATE Borisov in the other of the 10 ties.

Inter gets debutant Stjarnan in Europa League

Meantime, Italian giant Inter Milan will play European debutant Stjarnan for a place in the Europa League group stage.

In the playoffs draw Friday, three-time competition winner Inter was sent to Iceland for the first-leg match on Aug. 21. The pairing puts the No. 23 team in UEFA’s club rankings against No. 422.

Still, Inter won’t begin its Serie A season until after the Aug. 28 second leg, while Stjarnan is unbeaten in Iceland’s league which started in May.

Tottenham, twice a UEFA Cup champion, was drawn against AEL Limassol of Cyprus.

Also, it was: PSV Eindhoven vs. Shakhtyor Soligorsk of Belarus; Real Sociedad vs. Krasnodar of Russia; Astana vs. Villareal; Lokeren vs. Hull.

Legia Warsaw was drawn away to Kazakhstan’s Aktobe after losing its Champions League place Friday for fielding an ineligible player.