Celtic have been drawn against Astana in the Champions League qualifiers for the second consecutive season.

They faced the side from Kazakhstan in the third round qualifiers last year and will come up against them one stage on, this time in the play-offs.

It took a stoppage-time penalty from Moussa Dembele to defeat them in 2016, knocking them out 3-2 on aggregate.

Here's what to expect from Astana one year on.

Most will remember the sides' encounter last year. They drew 1-1 in Kazakhstan, while it took a stoppage time penalty for Celtic to see off Astana in the return fixture.

Moussa Dembele won and netted the spot kick to convert his first goal for the club and prevent the tie from going to extra time.

It is the only time the two sides have met but it is not the first time Celtic have faced opposition from Kazakhstan.

They dramatically knocked out Shakhter Karagandy 3-2 on aggregate in 2013 after losing 2-0 away from home.

The Hoops triumphed 3-0 in the second leg at Celtic Park, with James Forrest scoring in stoppage time.

Astana qualified for the Champions League qualifiers after being crowned champions of the Kazakhstan Premier League in 2016.

They knocked out Latvian side Spartaks Jūrmala 2-1 on aggregate in the second round before coming up against Poland's Legia Warsaw and beating them 3-2 over the two legs.

They qualified for the Champions League group stages for the first time in their history two seasons ago after progressing through three qualifying rounds.

Celtic will not fear Astana but they will be right to enter the tie cautiously considering how tight it was last season.

The Kazakhs are also more than midway through their season. They have played 21 games and will shortly enter the second stage of their league competition by taking on the top sides in a more elaborate version of the Premiership split in Scotland.

They are currently on a run of 14 games unbeaten at home in European competition.

In fact, they have only lost three of their last 20 games - one in the league, one in Europe and one in the Kazakhstan Cup - and all of them were away from home.

The first leg, at Celtic Park, will take place on Wednesday, August 16, with the return fixture taking place on Tuesday, August 22.

It was the other way around last season when Astana hosted the first leg and travelled to Glasgow for the crunch second meeting.

If you are thinking of making the journey to Kazakhstan for the return fixture you face a long journey.

The capital is situated in the north of the country and takes nine and a half hours as the crow flies. It is not that easy by plane though.

A quick search for flights that week and you will have to go via London for a hefty cost of almost £1000.

You might be able to work out a cheaper route though if you fly via Turkey or Ukraine.

Return flights from Birmingham, via Istanbul, are currently around the £700 mark and from Glasgow, via Kiev, are around £600.