AEK Athens are a far sterner test than Celtic or Rosenborg would want in the Champions League third qualification round. Last year they despatched Brugge 3-0 on aggregate from the Europa League qualifiers before drawing home and away against AC Milan. They left the tournament in the first knock out round on the away goals rule to Dynamo Kiev.
On the positive side, they are preseason and the third round will be their first competitive games since May. Although they are a famous European name, last season was their first domestic title in 24 years, when the interrupted Olympiacos’ domination of football in Greece.
Should we overcome Rosenborg, this would be a big task for Celtic. AEK will be favourites, no matter who they face.
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Hello
Is anyone at home?
Hmmm
We’ll beat ole AEK Athens.
Feck
No one said it was gonnae be easy HH ???????
In lap of the God’s
Loser of Celtic Rosenborg plays Cork City in Europa League Qualifier.
They sound tough from last years but they aren’t highly rated by UEFA (from Bert Kassies site) :
FC Salzburg Aut 55.500 BATE Borisov ** Bls 20.500
Ludogorets Razgrad * Bul 37.000 Dinamo Zagreb ** Cro 17.500
Celtic * Sco 31.000 Sheriff Tiraspol * Mol 14.750
Legia Warsaw * Pol 24.500 Malmö FF * Swe 14.000
FK Astana * Kaz 21.750 Red Star Belgrade * Srb 10.750
Garabag Agdam * Azb 20.500 AEK Athens Gre 10.000
AEK will be a tough tie (if we qualify) but that’s what it’s all about.
HellBhoy: Fáilte to the mad house and best of luck with your continued recovery.
Don’t know what the weather is like in EK but it rained here in the Costa Del Sol for about 15 minutes. Normal sunshine has been restored and on its way to 30 degrees Celsius.
take nothing for granted
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
News management in play by a board who are scared of their own shadow.
Just what is our level in the eyes of PL and his inter web AstroTurf?
Work the numbers — player wages and turnover?
If we are spending more then surely the surplus should generate a better team?
If we are getting sloppy with the cash — paying over the odds for mediocrity then someone needs to be held to account.
I wonder if they have any CB’s worth buying?
For the record if JF turns up and puts in a shift we will win at a canter.
If he doesn’t it will be RD and his EU adventures all over again.
Focus will be on Rosenberg.
That said, IF we get through, AEK are tough but beatable if we have most of our players available.
Greece ranked 16 in country coefficients – not because any one team is exceptional, rather they all pull their weight in Europe.
Scotland is 25th behind luminaries such as Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Israel and a whisker ahead of Kazakhstan.
Or put another way – we are 24 places below Spain and 24 above Gibraltar.
Smith, Peat, Regan, McRae – this is your legacy. Take a bow.
Hail hail
Ipswich want £10m for Waghorn, yip nearly pished my pants too?
M @ 12.12
Of the 11 teams you list based on EU coefficients — is there anyone we should fear?
Games where we would not be the favourites?
Interesting to see how the financials compare?
We really need to grow a pair when it comes to the CL.
From the board, through the manager to the squad and a lot of the support we are flat track bullies in the SPL and innocents abroad when it come to EU football.
We need to grow up.
Starting with the CQN editorial team.
Bring on the Vikings and Greeks by the score
WhoTheyTryingToKid CSC
I’m sure Brendan Rodgers is not thinking as if we are underdogs. No bad thing if we are. Though we really do have to up our mindset in Europe, ok we’ve had a couple of “doings” as late, but never in the qualifiers. We can and will beat Rosenberg and AEK, who will not be too happy to have drawn us! por cierto
Madmitch – good point.
If we were just a wee bit better, we could be confident of beating anyone in qualifiers.
Malarkey, useful info, worth calling out though that these rankings are over 5 years three of which AEK were not in Europe.
Based on 17/18 ranking points, they performed as well as we did last year.
Hail hail
Im sure AEK arent too enamoured to have drawn us or Rosenberg, im sure they would prefer Rosenberg, however if we get by Rosenberg then id hope we were better equipped defensively, though board “expectation management” is in full swing (and we laugh at Orcs for buying the same ole p*** by GLIBBY)
I think what we are witnessing here is natural selection, where only the strongest and fittest survive to play in the CL.
With each round Pot4 teams compete with other Pot4 teams for a limited amount of Pot 4 CL places because places are occupied by clubs from monied leagues.
Whilst I like Celtic to be in the CL I don’t like watching us getting humped by Pot1 and 2 clubs when we qualify.
UEFA have increased EL participation prize money so it’s not to be sneezed at and if it’s the EL, then we are likely to progress there and build up coefficient points as a result as well as increase share of prize money.
If we qualify for CL it’s great in prestige terms but not results, so whilst I think we are good enough to continue to qualify I’d not be unhappy at giving the EL a right good shot.
Remember Seville. Who gave a toss it wasn’t the CL final?
The above does not come from anywhere else but my attitude to life. Moan about what isn’t or enjoy what is. I choose the latter (after a wee moan)
Auldheid
Good points. BUT! I only like being in the EL if we have performed well in the CL then drop down, you see that’s having your cake and eating it por cierto
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44916496
awfy braw…..
smiley concentrate on the Norwegian Blue thing
Braw
AULDHEID
I like your attitude! “moan about what isn’t or enjoy what is”? like u i choose the latter but still want Celtic to win EVERY game of course
HH
So Ajer and Hendry it is against Rosenborg. An unbelievable risk we are taking and I’m unable to gauge why we are even taking this risk. Plenty of downside, not much in the way of upside.
Let’s beat Rosenborg first before we start counting hens, eh.
Makes sense to wee me
KINGLubO
Auldheid
I agree about the Europa.Only problem there is,if we dont get by AEK,there are some very good teams in the 4th qualifying rounds of that to get into the groups.Beat Rosenborg,AEK,we are in the groups automatically.
Auldheid
Remember Seville. Who gave a toss it wasn’t the CL final?
Nobody
More money or more glory?
Ajer and Hendry and A.N. Other we play 3 at the back so who plays alongside them, Ralston? Gamboa, is he back yet? Tierney but he will be restricted in getting forward, you know that Forrest covered Jozo after he was sent off done really well, going forward and coming back, something I could only dream of saying 2 seasons ago! so what will it be? por cierto
@Auldheid
If we only reach the Europa League, so be it. But if our failure to qualify for the Champions League is linked to a lack of investment in the team, then that is not good enough.
Plus, Rodgers has stated that our goal is to get into the Champions League. It seems as if (as usual) we are resting on our laurels and happy to see all the positive momentum and money we have earned dissipate through inept planning and underachievement, as opposed to being pro-active and pushing on.
AH @ 12.39
Pure gold plated, frontier standard defeatism.
Soon — with your analysis and attitude — the EL will be beyond and our only hope will be the Inter Toto Cup.
Look at the PSG debacle — we played like tourists waiting to swap shirts.
How many teams the the French top division have our resources?
Exclude the big boys — £100mill plus T/O — how many teams have our resources or less?
My thoughts are 10 or 12 are at our level in the French top league
What was their aggregate scores vs PSG last season?
Did anyone lose 12 goals against them over 2 legs?
And if they did — did they sack their manager?
Hame-il-dae-me seems to be our modus operandi.
Time for the board, manager, senior players and a lot of our support to get their erse in gear and actually do comething in Europe.
JS showed us the way — we are currently wracking our brains to think up excuses to explain why we cannot do the same. If the good players are now more concentrated at the big clubs then it stands to reason that all the second tier clubs have less talent available.
1-24 in Europe go up …
25-96 in Europe go down?
Is that how it works?
Or maybe it is only us that spout / believe that the world is against us and we have no chance?
Chicken Lickin has a lot to answer for.
Lets just settle for the Europa league then, its gonna be a good sell for potential players come to us, show well in the Champions League sorry Europa League and you’ll get your big money move to English Championship/English League 1/Salford United
Parsimony CSC
I am quite glad to have the extra qualifying games.. it has certainly got us up to speed in terms of fitness imo.
We should have what? 11 competative games under our belt if we get past Rosenborg
AEK will only be 3 weeks into their season.
Last night, after driving back from the cottage, mum and I decided to go out and have a bite to eat. The local restaurant was closed, so we were thinking about where to go. Mum said we could walk up to Greektown on the Danforth ( a few minute walk from the house). After thinking about it, we decided to go Caribbean, and have a roti.
Glad now that we didn’t walk up to the Danforth. Two hours later (we may still have been there), some guy walks down the street shooting people as he goes. … so far, two dead and more than a dozen injured.
MIKE IN TORONTO
Jeezo!! What a decision that was! por cierto
MadMitch.
I think I the last guy you can accuse of defeatism is myself.
On the lack of investment. Apart from money spent on keeping Rogic and Eduard and hopefully Boyata rather than try and find untried replacements or even tried replacements that cost what, on what do you base your claim of underinvestment. (And having a settled fit squad is an investment on qualifying.)
An investment is something meant to produce a financial return or break even at worst.
There are 2 kinds of investments. Financial and emotional and the realities and consequences of getting the first wrong are far more dramatic and long lasting then a CQN meltdown for a day.
The day someone can come up with a financial investment business case that shows the cost of players over a 3 year contract against the guaranteed benefits they will bring I’ll accept the argument of lack of ambition.
As it is unsupported opinions are just that opinions. I respect yours but having done a financial investment a year or two back I concluded the risks of getting it wrong are too high given no control over injuries, loss of form, going out in a one off game we should have won etc, are not worth taking.
The up side of not taking them is it gives you something that didn’t happen to moan about and I respect your choice to enjoy doing that. :)
I don’t know, I have a hunch that the ishortie fitba’ dept are pleased that The Bhoys will face AEK……..
What must they be thinkin’?
changes at SFA.