Valletta will start their 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League campaign against FK Kukesi of Albania after the draws were released at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, on Monday. 

The Maltese champions will play the first leg at the Zeqir Ymeri Stadium, in Albania on either July 10 or July 11.

Danilo Doncic's clan will host the Albanian side on either July 17 or July 18. 

FK Kukesi, second in last year's Albanian championship, will be participating in just their second Champions League campaign after making their debut last season where they were dumped out in the first qualifying round by Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova. 

Meanwhile, if the 24-time Malta champions advance to the second qualifying round, they would face the winner of Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia or Azerbaijan's Qarabag FK, who last year appeared in group stages of the Champions League alongside Roma, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.

If Valletta fail to advance to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, the Maltese champions will drop into the second qualifying round (Champions Path) of the Europa League, where they would face either FC Spartak Trnava of Slovakia or Bosnia's HSK Zrinjski. 

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