B.K. Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Celtic and Motherwell will represent Scotland in the qualifying stages of the 2012/13 Champions League. Neil Lennon's SPL champions will enter the tournament on the Champions Path at the third qualifying round. Third placed Motherwell are on the Non-Champions Path, also at the third qualifying round, at the expense of Rangers, who have not been recommended for a UEFA Club Licence. Celtic This season's SPL winners need to go through two qualifying rounds to reach the group stages for the first time since 2008/09. Projecting Celtic's potential opponents is a lengthy process. Six teams will enter at the first qualifying round stage, with the three winners joining a further 31 participants in round two. The 17 winners of the second qualifying round will then be joined by Neil Lennon's team, the winners of the Belgian Pro League and the Romanian Liga I. Celtic are guaranteed seeds for the third qualifying round. Basel, should they progress from round two, are likely to be top seeds. At present, it is difficult to project who the unseeded sides, and Celtic's likely opponents, in the third round will be. Taking into account those who have already qualified for the second stage, and guessing those who progress, potential opponents could include HJK Helsinki, Molde FK, NK Maribor, Shamrock Rovers, Linfield, Ekranas or Hapoel Kiryat Shmona. Should they progress, Celtic will again be seeded for the play-off round stage. No further teams enter at this stage, which is contested by the ten winners of the third qualifying round. The third qualifying round will take place on July 31/August 1, with the second leg on August 7/8. Play-off round ties will take place on August 21/22 and August 28/29. Celtic's potential opponents Already qualified for the second stage are Basel (Switzerland), Ironi Kiryat Shmona (Israel), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), BATE Borisov (Belarus), Molde (Norway), Partizan (Serbia), Helsingborg (Sweden), HJK Helsinki (Finland), Shamrock Rovers (Ireland), Ekranas (Lithuania), Ventspils (Latvia), Neftchi Baku (Azerbaijan), Maribor (Slovenia), KR (Iceland), Shakhter Karagrandy (Kazakhstan), Flora Tallinn (Estonia), The New Saints (Wales) and Ulisses (Armenia). Joining them will be the league winners from Czech Republic, Austria, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, Bosnia, Hungary, Moldova, Georgia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania. Four of the six participants in the first qualifying round have been confirmed: Linfield (Northern Ireland), B36 Torshavn (Faroe Islands), Lustianos (Andorra) and Valletta (Malta). The league winners from Luxembourg and San Marino will also participate. Motherwell The potential opponents for the Steelmen are far easier to speculate upon. Motherwell go in at the third qualifying round stage along with nine other teams, with the five winners then joining five other opponents in the play-off round. Motherwell will be non-seeds at both stages. It is already clear that two of their potential, seeded opponents will be the teams which finish second and third in the Ukrainian and Portuguese leagues respectively. As it stands, either Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo Kiev will finish second in Ukraine, with Benfica, Braga and Sporting Lisbon all in contention to come third in Portugal. Their other potential opponents are dependant on which clubs finish in the applicable league positions and therefore it is not possible to calculate yet which other teams will be seeds and non-seeds. Motherwell then could potentially face the second placed teams from Russia, Holland, Turkey, Denmark, Belgium and Romania, or the winners of the Greek Super League play-off. Should they progress, they will again be unseeded and could either face a team joining them from the third qualifying round stage. Five other teams join in the play-off round: the third placed finishers in France and Italy, the fourth placed team in Spain, German side Borussia Monchengladbach and the fourth placed team in England, or the team which finishes third if Chelsea win this season's Champions League. Like Celtic, their third qualifying round first leg game will take place on July 31/August 1, with the second leg on August 7/8. Play-off round ties will take place on August 21/22 and August 28/29. The draw for the third qualifying round takes place on July 20, with the play-off round draw on August 10. Motherwell's potential opponents Third qualifying round Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) Benfica, Braga or Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) CSKA Moscow, Dinamo Moscow, Spartak Moscow or Anzhi Makhachkala (Russia) Feyenoord, PSV or Heerenveen (Holland) Galatasaray or Fenerbahce (Turkey) Copenhagen, Nordsjaelland, Midtjylland or Horsens (Denmark) Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Genk, Gent, Standard Liege (Belgium) CFR Clug, Rapid Bucharest, Vaslui, Dinamo Bucharest, Steaua Bucharest, Universitatea Cluj, Pandurii Târgu Jiu Otelul Galati (Romania) Panathinaikos, PAOL, Atromitos, AEK Athens (Greece) Play-off round stage Other four winners from third qualifying round stage Borussia Monchengladbach (Germany) Napoli, Udinese, Lazio, Inter, Roma (Italy) Montpellier, PSG, Lille, Lyon (France) Valencia, Malaga, Levante, Atletico Madrid, Mallorca (Spain) Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United or Chelsea (England) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 This might sound a bit mental, but for the first qualifying round, there are some possibly winnable ties there, right? I mean, Dundee United should have beaten AEK two years ago. I imagine the Danish teams are tidy, but Nordsjælland are hardly dripping in household names... Or we'll get pumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoojy Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 The thing is, because we're guaranteed to be unseeded, it's only the bigger names that we'll come up against. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
well_nuts Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 I cant wait for this. It is going to be mental trying to book everything before prices go up but since i am night shift i can be up for the draw and book things as soon as the draw is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stv Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 I need a lie doon after all that ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnstone Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Road trip! That's all I care about. A big mental road trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special aka Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Great info Keith, cheers. Funny, but I said to a mate last week that there were 4 countries I would not go to ....... Russie, Ukraine, Turkey and Greece. Fingers crossed it's 1 of the other 5. Belgium would be perfect ............... Eurostar adventure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burn_Broomfield Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Feyenoord or whoever finishes runners-up to Anderlecht. Home-ties for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milo Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Funnily enough Special aka, if we were to be drawn against teams from those 4 countries you mention it would be the charter for me, or I wouldn't be going either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperCC Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Wouldn't fancy a trip Turkey or Ukraine but Moscow is an amazing place if you get the chance and if you live on MacDonalds or the Pizza Hut just off Red Square and drink the cheap booze on offer in all the little shops, you will love it! Baking hot in the summer as well and you can even go inside the Kremlin for a look round. And safer at night than a jolly in Edinburgh...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special aka Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Good site to find out about our potential opponents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Belgium/Netherlands for me. Get the balls in the tea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maplewell Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 i'd welcome a portugese team, most of the people in the city im in are from there anyway. even better would be benfica, my friend supports them. Hopefully we hump them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delboy Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 I'm going to be on holiday the first week in August and my other half has already been told that if the first leg is at home I'll be breaking my holiday to get back for the game. As for who we play Bring them on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TvTotherwell Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 I want Roma in the Play-off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Harrow Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 Wouldn't fancy a trip Turkey or Ukraine but Moscow is an amazing place if you get the chance and if you live on MacDonalds or the Pizza Hut just off Red Square and drink the cheap booze on offer in all the little shops, you will love it! Baking hot in the summer as well and you can even go inside the Kremlin for a look round. And safer at night than a jolly in Edinburgh...... Head out to Prospekt Mira, Dinamo or anywhere towards the MKAD and prices get more sensible apart from hotels. Mental city, but absolutely fantatsic, especially if you get away from the City Centre and stick to carry-outs and not bother with the pubs. Would take Moscow first, Ukraine then Turkey (if its Fener, you can get a boat over to the game and pick one of many pubs on the walk up to the ground). Not sure what the prices would be like in Ukraine after the EC, but again, a fantastic and mental country and cheap as chips! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Stall Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 Bruge or a Dutch entrant, and then Roma in the playoff will do me. Obviously we will pump them both........ and then onto the group stages made up of.... Barcelona Borrusia Dortmund Arsenal The' well! The 'well and Dortmund to qualify from the group Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat_tony Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 Stuck this in the shoutbox, anyone watched it yet? http://sport.stv.tv/...-league-nights/ STV did a session for the Well team to practice their lineup for the Champion's League. Tim Clancy EDIT: didn't see it was posted last night, great stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special aka Posted May 5, 2012 Report Share Posted May 5, 2012 Post deleted as it was utter pisssh .................. sorry folks, (see below). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellfan1984 Posted May 5, 2012 Report Share Posted May 5, 2012 Greece is still very much a 4 way battle. Pano drew with Atronitos and PAOK beat AEK in the first match of the European Playoff. Currently league table reads PANO Pld 1 Pts 5 PAOK Pld 1 Pts 3 Atronitos Pld 1 Pts 1 AEK Pld 1 Pts 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkySuperSub Posted May 5, 2012 Report Share Posted May 5, 2012 Fuckin' hell...what kinda shitey league do they have that there's 4 teams battling it out to win the title??! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted May 5, 2012 Report Share Posted May 5, 2012 If my calculations are correct, Keith's list of potential opponents is reducing. I reckon it now reads ............................... Turkey: Fenerbache Holland: Feyenoord or PSV Belgium: Club Brugge or AA Gent Denmark: Kopenhagen or Nordsjaelland or Midgetlland Greece: Panathinaikos Portugal: Benfica, Braga, Sporting there are mini leagues for euro places in turkey, greece and belgium that the bbc website doesn't show so it's not much use. fifa.com is better. some of those teams we can't play due to seeding. russia - cska, spartak, lokomotiv portugal - braga, benfica, sporting. this could possibly be settled tonight. ukraine - if shaktar beat the bottom team next week it'll be dinamo kiev. holland - settled tomorrow. psv are certs to beat the bottom team so it'll depend on feyenoord dropping points to heeverern (who have a wee chance). there is very little chance of us getting feyenoord as they have a poor ranking and would likely be unseeded. greece - panathanikos, aek athens, paok salonika turkey - fenerbhace or galatasary. could be decided tomorrow, if not they play each other next sunday. belgium - brugges, genk, gent denmark - copenhagen romania - cluj, fc vaslui, dinamo bucharest, steaua bucharest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special aka Posted May 5, 2012 Report Share Posted May 5, 2012 Greece is still very much a 4 way battle. Pano drew with Atronitos and PAOK beat AEK in the first match of the European Playoff. Currently league table reads PANO Pld 1 Pts 5 PAOK Pld 1 Pts 3 Atronitos Pld 1 Pts 1 AEK Pld 1 Pts 0 ahhh .... didn't realise there was a Play-Off, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelboy Posted May 5, 2012 Report Share Posted May 5, 2012 Fuckin' hell...what kinda shitey league do they have that there's 4 teams battling it out to win the title??! olympiakos are the champions. 2nd -5th play a 6 game round robin for the champions league spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellfan1984 Posted May 5, 2012 Report Share Posted May 5, 2012 Fuckin' hell...what kinda shitey league do they have that there's 4 teams battling it out to win the title??! Nah Olympiakos have already won the league. These 4 teams then enter a round robin for the final Champions League space and what round of the Europa League they enter. At the end of the regular season the following maths is used to decide starting points 2nd pts - 5th pts / 5 3rd pts - 5th pts / 5 4th pts - 5th pts / 5 5th starts on 0 At the split PANO who were second began on 4. The rest began on 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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