Celtic will almost certainly face HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The Fins are 7-0 after the first leg of their second qualifying round against KR Reykjavik.
HJK were the first team to beat Martin O’Neill’s Celtic as they overcame a first leg deficit in the 2000 Uefa Cup to force the tie into extra time. Chris Sutton scored late to prevent the tie going to penalty kicks. HJK are also top of their domestic league after 17 games, so will be a well-oiled machine by the time the arrive at Celtic Park on 31 July or 1 August.
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Hopefully, see a hefty travelling support ….Can see th’ Ole GB givin it laldy right now.
Come On You Bhoys In Green.
SydneyTim
I don’t know what you base your assessment of HJK on, but even if it is correct both the Hampden games you mention serve as a reminder that if Celtic are not in top form in Scotland referees can hurt us. Both ended in extremely controversial circumstances with refereeing decisions that greatly prejudiced Celtic.
At least we can have confidence this is less likely to happen in Europe.
Dissapointed with some of the comments regarding our chances for the first round in Europe. We have a young team and they have to learn how to play with confidence, that is to trust your abilities.
We have enough talent to get through this first round. Don’t worry about pre-season results, they mean nothing . Neil has his first team and is giving others a run out to see if they can make the step up or prove they are worthy of wearing the jersey while, others are maybe in the shop window.
Let’s get behind Neil and the bhoys and help them gain that quiet confidence they need.
HH
gsu
Ten Men Won The League on 20 July, 2012 at 12:40 said:
Sone Aluko walks away…to Hull City
He actually walked from Ibrox to Hull?
That’s commitment.
The bould bhoys – Aye hopefully doin’ a Jinki in Helsinki! HH
Sydney I hope yer wrong too. I think that you will be surprised. Neil is a winner on the field and learning how to be one on the field. He is no different from any other Manager in having to work with the talent and money available. Up to him to get the best from the bhoys and I think he will. Hail Hail
SydneyTim on 20 July, 2012 at 12:39 said:
Do you get much Finnish football on Australian TV??
Anyone think the hunz are playing a game of chicken with the SFA, expecting them to back down before the season kicks off?
hands up everybody who thinks the newspapers and tv will ask the WHOLE of Scotland to get behind our Eoro campaign
Sevco’s glamour friendly with Hawick Royal Albert has been cancelled.
Vogue and battered Bunnett
I hope I am wrong,but I fear for us in Europe
With talk of reorganising Scottish football rife, its a shame its not for the reasons apparent today. StJohnstone (and other Scottish teams including Celtic) annually run the risk of humiliation at the hands of smaller teams simply because our season does not reflect our current European status. Playing zero competitive football prior to European qualifiers is risky in the least and if Doncaster / Regan really cared for our game, they’d be sorting this annual farce.
McCourt For 7 on 20 July, 2012 at 12:36 said:
If we don’t pick up any injuries, I think our defence is stronger this year. No Loovens (occassional numpty), Big Dan (red card waiting to happen) or Cha Du Ri (smiling hari kari merchant.
Exactly what I was thinking.
If we don’t sign any players and don’t qualify for CL,will we try and buy then? I have my doubts.
Eoro= Euro…pesjy i-phone
pesjy = pesky…stupid j-phone
j-phone = i phone..dafy i-phone
dafy = daft bloosy i-phone
bloosy= bloody….ah give im…..aaaarrrrgggghhhh
Celtic First @ 12 33 .
” Soft penalty ”
Mmm ——
Watching it unfold I found myself screaming at Hooper — ” don’t ! get your arms down ”
Hooper was clumsy and naive .
Italians have many ways of describing a penalty —- that one was a Graziemille defensore { thanks a lot defender ] Where the clumsy stupidity of the defender results in a penalty .
Hooper clumsily attempted to get the ball from the side -as he did so he raised his arms —– at that point the Brazilian simply upped his pace and made sure that he was” impeded” by Hooper ..
The Italian TV commentator screamed for a penalty . The Udinese TV commentator screamed for a penalty . Asked about the penalty in a post match interview -Guidolin , the Udinese manager said —
” it was a penalty — The Ref saw my player being impeded by a clumsy arms up attempt to get the ball . Had one of my team done that I would have been raging “.
Part of the learning required to succeed in Europe is learning to stop making clumsy tackles which lead to ” soft penalties “
Good draw for Celtic.
Helsinki are no mugs but will provide Celtic with a test to see what kind of level we are at. I expect us to go through.
The next qualifier will make or break our season. I would be happy to drop into the Europa League and get out of the group stages and hopfully make the last 8 or thereabouts.
We are miles away from competing with the big guns in the Champions League but a good run in the EL will give us the experience to have a good run at it next year.
We need to be patient. NL is building a side that will be together for years. They will win and lose together and gain experience together. Getting Forster signed was a massive boost but we need a centre half with experience and a presence. I still think we miss a Roy Aitken type player to drive the team on.
Happy with the progress we are making but hope a treble and a good Europa League run are in the pipeline this season. CL would be a bonus for me.
It’s about improving year on year and we are on course to do that. We as Celtic supporters need to be realistic when it comes to Europe. I think we have the chance to do well this season because we should have the luxury of resting key players in league and cup matches when required.
Onwards and upwards for Lenny’s high flying Bhoys.
LB
Finland, Finland, Finland,
The country where I want to be,
Pony trekking or camping,
Or just watching TV.
Finland, Finland, Finland.
It’s the country for me.
You’re so sadly neglected
And often ignored,
A poor second to Belgium,
When going abroad.
(thumbsup)
This year should , in thoery , be two in a row easy street right. ok so we can afford to be less risk averse and attack so I expect that we will have a defence that starts the attack. Great things can come from that if you watched Jocks teams. Go for it Celtic. Bring on the Finns
Division 3 side Rangers are unseeded in today’s draw.
Please everyone read that sentence again slowly and drink it in.
:)
Mea Culpa – Anyone think the hunz are playing a game of chicken with the SFA, expecting them to back down before the season kicks off?
Yup.
It’s the most dopey game of chicken since the movie “Footloose”. (thumbsup)
Clean sheet at home and we should progress. Feel it will need to be TR and CM for the cb positions if this is to happen though.
wonkyradar–
Giving them the hits doesn’t hlp but one only has to listen to Jabba on his rag’s latest podcast offering,……WATP oozing out them.
–Lennon the bogeyman.—- How dare any player (or manager FTM) have an opinion on a matter which saw them lose out in honours? That’s for the likes of him to do….
–No stripping of Titles won with ineligible players.—- Unanimous.
–Punished enough [repeat ad nauseum]
wonkyradar on 20 July, 2012 at 12:44 said:
Ten Men Won The League on 20 July, 2012 at 12:40 said:
Sone Aluko walks away…to Hull City
He actually walked from Ibrox to Hull?
That’s commitment.
Is he paying his own transfer fee?
They’ll be dancing on the streets of Royal Albert tonight – Sevco friendly with Hawick cancelled
RogueLeader – Division 3 side Rangers are unseeded in today’s draw.
Alex Salmond will conduct the draw, if he can tear himself away from eating for five minutes. (thumbsup)
Are the unseeded nay deeded Rangers permitted to be called unseeded nay deeded Rangers?
How did Sevco get on in the draw CSC
Bada bing
Our m.o. In these situations in the past has been to have targets lined up for each of the eventualities.
Any word from ole Guy of Gisbourne?
Sevco get a home fixture against East Fife
I really fear that having no central defence will cost us, said Sydney Tim
Well, ST, could you kindly tell me what Charlie Mulgrew,Thomas Rogne and Victor Wanyama were doing so badly that we only managed a record amount of clean sheets?
If posters on here really don`t rate those three, then fine (but bewildering) but for God`s sake fellow Tims PLEASE don`t just jump on the CH needed bandwaggon. Why not say we desperately need a full back,a mid-fielder , a GK or an attacker because it is quite obvious to me that Charlie, Thomas and Victor were every bit as good as any other player in our team last season.
So, our oponents are 17 games into their season so we should be scared? If it were the other way round, the doomsayers on here would be saying they will be very freah whilst we are knackered!
We should be prepared, not scared.
JJ
At least this is beginning to look like the ol` CQN again…..Happy Clappers V Mineshafters. Bring it on! I love Celtic!!!
Hail! Hail!
South of Tunis
I agree about Hooper being naive but it was still soft. The Udinese player played for it and got the decision. But consider how many times you saw challenges of a similar nature during Euro 2012 and referees were not inclined to blow for a penalty, presumably under instruction.
Football isn’t basketball. Just because a guy comes into contact with another guy it doesn’t mean it’s a foul.
There’s a thesis to be written about the good and bad influences that the popularity of basketball has had in continental Europe in recent decades on European football. Good is that possession is king. Bad is that I can do anything I like to you when you don’t have the ball and absolutely nothing when you do have it.
Tired of hearing we are a young team,get some experienced operators in the team,problem solved.Ajax won the CL / European Cup with a team who’s average age was probably less than ours is currently.Solve the problem instead of having ready made excuses.
As the Champions draw Helsinki in the Third Round Qualifier of the UCL. Dead Club draw East Fife at the Deadwood Stadium in the first round of the League Cup…oh dear!
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
philvisreturns on 20 July, 2012 at 12:53 said:
Zat the nashnul anfum?
setting free the bears on 20 July, 2012 at 12:58 said:
Where is home for the hillbillies is the question these days..
Dundee Utd v Dynamo Moscow in EL draw
St Johnstone will face Marseille if they can overturn their 2 goal deficit to the Turkish side
celtic40me on 20 July, 2012 at 12:57 said:
Bada bing
Our m.o. In these situations in the past has been to have targets lined up for each of the eventualities.
You are probably right my friend,reactive instead of proactive.