Celtic kick off their bid to reach the Champions League Group Stage tomorrow when Ange Postecoglou’s side take on FC Midtjylland, and the Hoops now know who lies in store if they can beat the Danes – PSV Eindhoven or Galatasaray
The Parkhead side face three rounds of qualifying this season after finishing second in the Premiership and they face a tough task to make it through to the riches of the Group Stage.
There will be around 9000 fans inside Celtic Park tomorrow night as Postecoglou takes charge for the first time in a competitive fixture and the Australian will immediately be under pressure to deliver results.
As one of the seeded teams in the draw, Celtic avoided a clash with teams as good as Monaco or Benfica but could still have faced a potential tie with the likes of Genk; Spartak Moscow; Rapid Vienna or Sparta Prague.
The first leg takes place on August 3/4 with the return leg on August 10 – and while fans may have fancied a trip abroad, UEFA have forbidden visiting fans from travelling to any games before the Group Stage.
Should Celtic make it to the Champions League Third Qualifying Round and lose, they will automatically enter the Europa League Group Stage but defeat to Midtjylland will see the Hoops drop into the Europa Conference League Playoff.
Last season, the Hoops failed to make it as far as the Third Qualifying Round, losing to Hungarian’s Ferencvaros at Celtic Park as everything began to unravel for Neil Lennon’s reign as manager.
Tomorrow’s first leg against Midtjylland is massive for Celtic and Postecoglou as the former Australia manager takes the reins in a competitive game for the first time.
It will be interesting to see just how he sets his side up and integrates new faces into a team that needed major rebuilding.
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