Celtic will play KR Reykjavik in the Champions League second qualifying round with the first leg taking place on either 15or 16 July. Celtic are provisionally at home for the first let – but don’t book your flights until arrangements have been confirmed.
KR beat Glentoran 3-0 on aggregate in last season’s Europa League qualifying campaign before losing 1-3 home and away to Standard Liege. The Icelandic season continues throughout the summer, KR played a league game yesterday and have another three competitive games before meeting Celtic. Nine games into the league campaign they are three points off the pace.
From what I can tell, it looks like they have a grass pitch at their 3300 capacity stadium, which removes the big complaint from last season’s qualifiers.
This is a good tie for Celtic, who will be physically stretched by a mid-season team, but we’ll be strong favourites.
We were last in competitive action in Iceland against Valur in 1975, when a 0-2 win out there preceded a 7-0 victory at Celtic Park.
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Beyonce
Everybody else presumably booking flights.
Not a bad draw.
JJ
Seemed to score quite a bit for the reserves Finnbogason but didn’t get any 1st team appearances under Gordy as far as I recall. Think we released him 2006? He also played for Falkirk for a while, scored against Livingston as a trialist and against the arabs on his full debut.
Phiew, Legia Warsaw : Saint Patrick’s
Decent draw which could have been better and could have been worse.
Now,wee favour.
Can anyone please provide a videolink to Christine Grahame’s infamous ‘evening up’ comment?
Journey to the centre of the earth.
HH!!
Snake Plissen
Introducing summer football would remove the advantage clubs already into their season enjoy.
For that reason (and many others) I think a change of season makes sense.
Bobby Murdoch’s, skip to 6 mins in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiEMBR7uwek
Zybszek
This is an easy one for you St. Pats not much better than Cliftonville ,if at all
HH
Phil
Get big Shuggie on there case :)
“they have a grass pitch”, whilst we will have a pitch which was consisdered unfit for rugby !
Not been on for a long long time due to family illness. Been keeping tabs on CQN and the usual overwhelming charitable contributions from everyone involved on this site has brought a tear to my eye at times.
I really am nervous about the CL due to a new manager and the whole playing in Edinburgh thing. No draw will be straight forward when it will be played early into the summer.
Iceland is lovely although the price of beer is shocking! The blue lagoon is something worth experiencing. Remember to get the bus when arriving at the airport which is a distance from the city and will set you back £50 from memory. Great place to visit in summer.
PAUL67
Thank you very much,bud.
I had trouble sourcing that-I wonder why?-to prove that it had happened.
I will now forward it,but with little pleasure. I really wish instead that the comment had never been made.
Auldheid
Indeed.
I think it is the way forward for Scotland to help our teams qualify and to bring on our own players.
The days of Celtic spending big money are gone.
We cannot match the fees paid south of the border so we need to look to Scandinavia in more ways than one and even Ireland.
April to November.
Philcool Thanks, I hope so. Good journey for both clubs supporters who will enjoy friendly atmosphere.
Auldheid
What do you do in the winter?
Summer football is a no for me. World Cup. olympics, Euro champs, Wimbledon, etc. People going on their holidays. The summer is for relaxing with family. Football is a winter sport.
LB
spikeysauldman
11:43
http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/work-on-re-laying-murrayfield-pitch-begins-1-3410208
Just got a letter from wee Fergus (bless him) to ask me to buy a season ticket.
Fergus if you are looking in I have one in ES2 and have had it since 1987.
See you at the flag raising ceremony!
RobinBhoy
There’s a good chance Celtic can still get Slovan Bratislava in the next round.
Slovan got the New Saints so I reckon they’ll get through that one. It’s down to Celtic from here.
Still holding out for this tie.
A team from Iceland, lets hope we get one from Farmfoods next.
Is the draw for the 3rd round not predetermined by your position in the seedings.
By my reckoning, Celtic will be due to face a tricky tie against Partizan Belgrade if we beat the Icelanders, and Legia will be up against Steau.
Am I right in this?
Iceland… could not have been much worse!!
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
11:57 on 23 June, 2014
Is the draw for the 3rd round not predetermined by your position in the seedings.
By my reckoning, Celtic will be due to face a tricky tie against Partizan Belgrade if we beat the Icelanders, and Legia will be up against Steau.
Am I right in this?
————————————————————————————
Partizan Belgrade?!
Does away goals still count…? :-)
It’s all right. I just re-read the rules and see that it is an open draw on the 18th July for the next round.
sftb… don’t think so, it’s regionalised (good word but spellchecker doesn’t like it).
Auldheid,
I am all for football running from April til November. Too too often we have to endure terrible weather, which doesn’t do anything for improving the skill of the players and the experience of the spectators.
Livibhoy
Wait til yer blood thins.
Football is played in all seasons globally. Heck they think it can be played in Quatar.
There is much more light in the summer not to mention higher temperatures and families would be more likely to attend in good conditions.
A no bums on seats brainer.
Auldheid
11:40 on 23 June, 2014
Summer football has so many positives for Scottish football on and off the park that its inevitable that those who administer our game will be against it!!
desertbhoy
Wiki does not mention regionalisation at the 3rd round stage.
It states that “The third qualifying round will be split into two separate sections: one for champions (Champions Route) and one for non-champions (League Route). The losing teams in both sections will enter the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League play-off round.”
It suggests we will be 4th top seed in the draw, if we beat the Icelanders and the group of potential opponents, if seedings play out, will be in order of difficulty according to Euro rankings:-
Maribor
Legia
Partizan B
Debrecen
Slovan B
Aktobe
Ventspilis
Quarabag
HJK
Aalborg
Auldheid
Any decent international player will not sign for a club that play summer football. We may be without players for at least 4 weeks if they do sign for us with world cups and Euro champs.
It’s a no from me. Our kids will end up supporting English clubs. They are in the house in the winter because it is dark and cold and they watch the fitba. If our game in on in the summer they will be out playing like kids should be and not watch it at all. It’s a big no from me. Would kill our game in my opinion.
LB
Auldheid
If summer football is being looked at trial it in the lower leagues. At least let the clubs do some research and trial it before risking our game on such a scheme. I am more in favour of starting the league a bit earlier and having a decent winter break.
LB
The way Scottish fitba is run I reckon they’ll wait until every pitch is plastic before they introduce summer fixtures.
ernie lynch
No chance of summer fitba. It clashes with the marching season. It’s the busiest time of the year for certain SFA employees.
LB
I have at random picked Munich as a city to compare average temperatures with Glasgow in the wintery months of December, January and February.
The average high temperature in Munch is just below 4C and the average low is quite balmy at slightly lower than -3C.
Glasgow compares favourably with the high being just above 7C and the low being just below 2C.
All the big European leagues favour the winter game, and none seem to be suggesting a move to summer football is likely.
We’re not in a big league, but moving out of sync with what it widely regarded as ‘the football season’ would be detrimental overall I think.
LiviBhoy
I agree with much of what you post on here but, for me, summer football is a no brainer.
The better weather will encourage better football, more fans at games and will mean that our teams tackle the early Euro rounds in mid season, hopefully leading to greater representation in the later rounds.
ger57
Think about what you and your friends do in the summer.
Personally I favour the summer break.
It’s nice to chill out and hopefully enjoy some sun. Go day tripping with the family. Take in a festival. Get away for the odd weekend.
I can;t do much of that these days with a child but it’s a nice option in the summer.
Attendances may spike for certain games but I think season tickets would fall as people don;t want to commit in the summer to football when they can sit in their garden in nice weather. I don’t see that it is viable personally. This of the logistics in the summer. Any time you cross the forth road bridge to travel to an away match be prepared to be stuck behind a rake of caravans for a number of miles.
It’s not for me but each to their own. I don’t see it happening in this country until Celtic leave it.
LB