Celtic will find out their potential play-off opponents prior to their third qualifying round clash against CFR Cluj.
Before Celtic kick a ball against CFR Cluj in Romania next week they will already know their potential opponents in the next stage of UEFA Champions League qualifying.
Results this week mean there’s now a pretty narrow list of potential foes in the play-off round, with another two legged tie set to determine who makes it into the money-spinning group stages of the competition.
The Hoops are again seeded for the draw on Monday August 5th.
As per UEFA.com, the list of unseeded teams they could face is as follows:
- BSC Young Boys (Switzerland)
- APOEL (Cyprus) or Qarabag (Azerbaijan)
- Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
- Maribor (Slovenia) or Rosenborg (Norway)
There’s obviously some familiar faces in the lineup with Rosenborg, Maribor and Qarabag all visiting Celtic Park in recent years. Those teams, along with APOEL, are yet to duke it out in the third qualifying round, just like Celtic.
BSC Young Boys and Slavia Prague however are entering the process at this stage, winning leagues higher in the UEFA co-efficient rankings.
It’s the latter two teams that also present the biggest dangers in the draw, with both outfits well capable of competing with the Hoops, despite their unseeded status.
Slavia Prague had an excellent season in Europe last term, making the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League before being knocked out by eventual winners Chelsea. That’s two rounds deeper into the competition than Celtic managed under Brendan Rodgers.
On their way to that stage they managed to pick up wins against Bordeaux, FC Zenit and Copenhagen in the group stages before seeing off Belgian outfit Genk in the Round of 32 and La Liga side Sevilla in the Last 16.
Despite losing regulars like Miroslav Stoch, Michael Ngadeu Ngadjui and Simon Deli, they’ve managed to retain the core of their side.
They won’t be caught cold either, already three games deep into their league season.
Swiss champions Young Boys are undoubtedly the other team to avoid.
Finishing 20 points clear of FC Basel in the top-flight last season, they’ll be on a mission to make it back to the group stages of the Champions League for the second year in a row.
Last season they drew a horror group; facing giants Juventus, Valencia and Manchester United. Although earning a draw against the Spaniards and a win against the Italians, they eventually finished bottom.
A seasoned European outfit, they’ve played in a group stage of a European competition in five of the last six seasons.
The good news is that both teams are unlikely to be very happy about facing Celtic either, so if Neil Lennon’s side progress against Cluj they can enter any tie with confidence.
What’s clear though is that there is a big potential ramp up in competition ahead over the next few weeks.
For now, the team’s focus will be entirely on the Romanians, who are well capable themselves of doing damage.
Monday’s draw takes place at 11am from UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon.
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