CELTIC will learn their Champions League opponents when the play-off draw is made in Nyon, Switzerland, at 11am on Monday.
The Hoops missed out on the £40million windfall last season when they flopped against Kazakhstan minnows Kairat Almaty, losing on penalty-kicks after two dismal scoreless stalemates.
Hearts suffered the same sinking feeling last night after losing home and away to Sturm Graz on a 6-0 aggregate to exit Europe’s elite competition.
Martin O’Neill‘s men are in the Champions Path round which means they will be paired against one of five potential opponents – and THREE have now been identified, according to a report in the Scottish Sun.
Record signing Kasper Hogh may be making a quickfire return to Norway after he sealed his £11million-plus move from Bodo/Glimt yesterday.
Viking Stavanger were the shock Eliteserien champions last term for the first time in 34 years ahead of Hogh’s team and they are currently second in the table, a point adrift of Bodo.
They will almost certainly be unseeded due to their lowly co-efficient which could see them drawn against the Hoops.
The same applies to the Austrians of LASK Linz, who, like Celtic, sealed a league and Cup double last time out, while Slovenia’s NK Celje or Aarat-Armenia could also provide the opposition in the money-spinning play-off.
The Slovenians overcame Albania’s Egnatia on spot-kicks and will need to beat the Armenians, who knocked out Shamrock Rovers 3-2 on aggregate, to have a chance of facing Scotland’s title kings.
Among the other potential obstacles are old foes AEK Athens who will directly enter the next stage, but are currently unseeded.
The Greeks were almost promoted to the seeded portion of the ballot last night when FC Thun were on the brink of knocking out Dinamo Zagreb, but the Croatian side staged a spirited comeback to win 3-2.
Unless there are some upsets in this evening’s games, AEK, who dumped Brendan Rodgers’ side in 2018, are all but sure to be one of Celtic’s five potential opponents in next week’s draw.
Red Star Belgrade, Slovan Bratislava and Lech Poznan all hold substantial leads from their first-leg encounters and are likely to join the Hoops among the seeds.
Neil Lennon’s former side Omonia Nicosia, of Cyprus, are among the possibilities, but their advantage over Kairat Almaty is a slender 1-0 and they meet in Khazakhstan this afternoon with a 4pm kick-off.
Things will become clearer after tonight’s second legs.
Here is all you need to know:
When is the Champions League play-off draw?
Monday in Nyon, Switzerland, at 11am.
When is the Champions League play-off games due to be played?
The first legs are scheduled for August 18 or 19 with the returns on August 25 or 26.
When is the Champions League draw?
If Celtic are successful in their play-off ties, they will go into the ballot for the League phase on August 27.
They would face a further eight games in that competition.
Matchday 1: September 8-10 2026
Matchday 2: October 13-14
Matchday 3: October 20-21
Matchday 4: November 3-4
Matchday 5: November 24-25
Matchday 6: December 8-9
Matchday 7: January 19-20 2027
Matchday 8: January 27
What happens if Celtic are knocked out of the Champions League?
They will drop into the Europa League, as they did last season, where they will face another eight games.
That draw takes place on August 28.
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