Celtic begin Europa League on day of Scottish independence referendum

Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League by NK Maribor

Celtic will begin their Europa League group stage campaign on the day of the Scottish independence referendum.

The opening group games will be staged on Thursday 18 September, when voters in Scotland will be asked the yes/no question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

A Champions League play-off defeat by NK Maribor consigned Celtic to the Europa League.

And Celtic will discover their opponents in Friday's draw.

Ronny Deila's side will be seeded in pot one or two, with Europa League play-off round ties still to be decided on Thursday.

Group matches in the Europa League typically kick-off at 18:00 BST and 20:00 BST on Thursday evenings.