Champions League clarity for Celtic

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Celtic have received some clarity concerning their first Champions League qualifying round opponents after this week’s first leg results in qualifying round two.  The five matches that could provide an opponent for Celtic all produced hot favourites to progress.

Sheriff Tiraspol, who won away in Armenia, are 22 games into their league campaign and top the Moldovan table.  HJK Helsinki, who won 7-0 on Tuesday night’s Champions League qualifier, are joint top in Finland after 17 games.

All other expected opponents won 3-0 at home in the first leg.  Neftchi Baku are top of the Azerbaijan league after 16 games.  Molde are two points off the pace in Norway after 15 games.  AEL Limassol are Celtic’s only potential opponents who have yet to start their campaign.

If Celtic are to progress to the group stage they will have to overcome stiffer opposition than any of these teams in the final qualifying round, so we should look forward to a stiff test.

Loved the We are Celtic Supporters video from Celtic TV (below).  Great quotes from Jimmy McGrory, Tommy Burns, Billy McNeill, Paul McStay, Jock Stein and the original “<insert name> is more than a football club” from Sir Robert Kelly, a few decades before it was picked up in Catelonia.

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889 Comments

  1. Much to do…not enough time to do it all in!

     

    Man, I am so looking forwrd to our upcoming season. I think of our young,dynamic squad, and our evolving and maturing manager and I am full of optimism. I don’t expect miracles,but I expect to see The Bhoys playing the best football,admired everywhere……….The Celtic Way.

     

    Salutations to you all and adios for now!

     

    HH!

  2. South Of Tunis on

    ASonofDan @ 9 36

     

     

    ” the likes of Moldova , Cyprus and Azerbaijan ”

     

     

    You seen much of the team from Cyprus ? The team consisting of very good players from Brazil , Argentina , Africa etc . The team that beat Apoel to the title . The Apoel that made the last 16 of last season’s Champions League

     

     

    I have them a lot on tele . Limassol are a good team . They are a better team than Artmedia were..

     

     

    Careful what you wish for –

  3. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    SAINT STIVS 1015

     

     

    He sounds like a magnificent fella,fully deserving the magnificent way you remember him.

  4. Battered bunnet

     

     

    100% agree with all you say

     

    Trim squad

     

    Get rid of 5 or 6 players and bring in 1 or 2

  5. Lennon n Mc....Mjallby on

    St Stivs

     

     

    I can’t get it out of my mind now that,having grown up in the 80s loving all the Vietnam blockbusters,hearing for the first time Martha and the Vandelas ‘Nowhere To Run To’ and also ‘The Flight Of The Valkyries’ its great to know that there was a wee Tim flying in one of those iconic Lynx helicopters listening to Celtic winning the Big One.

     

     

    Brilliant.

  6. BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS:

     

     

    That BBC radio programme, was that the one with the mothers crying over their dead babies and the presenter trying to guess the weight of two year olds by picking them up and their true wight being less than four kilos?

     

     

    I wish the world could feed the children. What harm have the 2 year olds ever done?

  7. Saint Stivs on 20 July, 2012 at 10:15

     

    I didnt know him but if even half of that orbituary is true he must have been a good man.

     

    Condolences to his family and friends.

     

    RIP Frankie Gallagher

  8. Interesting conversation earlier between Kitalba and Foxy_1888 regarding being a supporter or just another fan.

     

     

    In a way, I agree with Foxy, however, I’d say: if you can afford it, wherever you are, if you can’t get to games, DO NOT BUY A SEASON TICKET if it’s going to sit there unused.

     

     

    Instead, here’s what I propose:

     

    If you can afford it, but cannot go to games and would like to buy a season ticket, head over to The Kano Foundation website, click on the Donations* link, get the sort code and account number, head to your local bank and set up a monthly standing order to cover the amount of your season ticket.

     

     

    Sorted. Not only are you directly contributing to the hoops, but you are also giving two or three young lads and lasses entry each week for an entire season and helping keep the Celtic tradition alive.

     

     

    *can someone update the <title> tag from Doantions to Donations on the Kano Foundation page

  9. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    KITALBA 1029

     

     

    I think what was on yesterday was an excerpt from a longer programme,maybe from R4

     

     

    I got the impression that the situation in The Yemen is not caused by drought or famine as such,but that around TEN MILLION people in that country haven’t the income required to source the plentiful food available.

     

     

    That is why OXFAM and other aid agencies are handing out cash parcels,not food parcels.

     

     

    I could be wrong,as I say. I only heard about this yesterday.

  10. While we’re talking about centre halfs..

     

     

    Which Scottish club set a new clean sheets record for their club in the SPL last season?

  11. Battered. My view gas never changed

     

    Small squad made up of homegrown and talent from far off , eg izzy and kayel, Wayama , but always cemented by one or two bought in quality players

     

     

    I think the fact the we have had the same areas if team to fill over last 4 or 5 transfer windows is now a bit if a joke and I kick in the teeth for the manager and fans

  12. The Battered Bunnet on 20 July, 2012 at 10:22

     

     

    While imo Kayal, Matthews and Forrest are the standout young talents to keep at the club, I’d be happy enough if we sold any from Ki, McCourt, Bangura and Stokes plus the ol ‘deadwood’, and bought a first team centre half and a top striker.

     

     

    Get the chequebook out Peter. You can always wheel and deal a little later if needed.

     

    ____________________________________________

     

    I love you M8 :o)))

     

     

    If I had said that….then again I’m not so articulate.

     

     

    God Bless You Sir.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  13. St Stivs

     

     

    Great stuff. God rest that good man.

     

     

    One thing, though. How did a guy who endured Vietnam to get to emigrate to the US end up working in United Molasses in Greenock? No offence to Greenock.

  14. John Brown went to the Louden Tavern to try and drum up some support for his doomed Sevco for spare Change campaign.

     

     

    The place was empty apparently apart from two pensioners and a big German Sheperd dog that growled non stop at Brown.

     

     

    He told the barman called Billy, he wouldn’t be back, then kicked the Puggie machine as he stormed out.

     

     

    Billly the barman said the manager told  him Brown was barred.

  15. SydneyTim on 20 July, 2012 at 10:39 said:

     

     

    I think the fact the we have had the same areas if team to fill over last 4 or 5 transfer windows is now a bit if a joke and I kick in the teeth for the manager and fans

     

    +++++

     

     

    That’s interesting. Let’s say we concentrated on those areas of the team, instead of bringing in the guys we did bring in.

     

     

    Which players (note: plural) from Matthews, Ledley, Kayal, Hooper, Izzaguire, Wanyama, Forster, Mulgrew, Commons and Ki would you rather we didn’t have in lieu of the areas you deem we need to fill?

  16. From the Herald:

     

     

    TWO members of the three-man Scottish Football Association panel which imposed a 12-month registration embargo on Rangers will play no further part in the case.

     

     

    Lord Carloway and Craig Graham, the chairman of Spartans, will be replaced if or when the SFA’s Appellate Tribunal reconvenes to consider the transfer ban again. The panel was ruled to have acted outwith its powers by Lord Glennie when Rangers challenged the SFA in the Court of Session.

     

     

    Herald Sport understands that Lord Carloway was unhappy that his verdict was contradicted by another judge and wrote to the SFA to inform them he would no longer be available for any future cases. Graham cannot consider the case again because of the possibility that suspending or expelling the oldco Rangers’ SFA membership (which the newco club seeks to take over) could create a vacant league place for which his own club, Spartans, could seek to apply. Graham removed himself rather than face a conflict of interest although he will remain available to the SFA for future cases.

     

     

    Only former Partick Thistle chairman Allan Cowan remains of the original panel.

     

     

    That means two new individuals from the dozens who comprise the SFA’s Judicial Panel will have to be drafted in to study the entire case along with Cowan and deliver another verdict.

  17. saltires en sevilla on

    Vmhan on 20 July, 2012 at 07:52 said:

     

     

    Great point on the worldwide membership scheme an annual price etc

     

     

    I know Auldheid and others have been championing this for ages…I do have serious doubts about the current board mainly because they lack imagination and drive. The marketing possibilities are huge for us if we had a decent leader a la Fergus

     

     

    We are stagnating!

     

     

    However credit where it’s due they are handling thems disintegration to perfection

     

     

    HH

  18. dirtymac » fast forward to the G.O.D:

     

     

    The most interesting part of my conversation with the Fox was his/hers inability to answer two very simple questions.

     

     

    That inability speaks absolute volumes.

     

     

    His grammar and speelllling are improving!!

     

     

    Next he’ll be quoting us Latin!!!

  19. Kitalba, I thought it was interesting because I’m not in a position to go to games and until recently have not had the money to either, but whilst the former doesn’t look like changing any time soon (wife is ill), the latter has changed and I’ve been looking at ways to contribute where previously I could not.

     

     

    I’m not a great believer in waste, so wouldn’t buy a season ticket for it to simply sit there. I am/was a subscriber to C67, but find it limited in a number of ways and whilst I will continue to subscribe to it, will also be setting up a S/O at next payday to help some kids get the benefit of a ticket that would otherwise sit gathering dust.

  20. Lennon n Mc….

     

     

     

    Nowhere to Run was played by disco diva dudettes The Lizzies in much-loved-by Wishites gang flick The Warriors

     

     

     

    BaseballFuriesRSC,ML2

  21. 'crushed nuts?' 'Naw, Layringitis!' on

    hen1rik on 20 July, 2012 at 08:50 said:

     

     

     

    11am the draw is

     

    —————————————————-

     

    May the force be with us! ;)))))

  22. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    In the ole CQN days our lack of activity in the ole fenetre d’ete would have resulted in much mumblin’ and grumblin’

     

    This year of course we’ve had the ole Loyal Laugh-in to keep us entertained, and distracted.

     

     

    What is hoopslegend Willo Flood doin’ these days?

  23. South Of Tunis on

    Radio newsreader says ——

     

     

    ” A masked gunman has killed 14 people and injured at least 50 others at a midnight screening of Dark Night Rises in Denver “

  24. The Battered Bunnet on

    Syd,

     

     

    Yip. Lenny has transformed the squad, and is in the process of creating an exciting young team packed with talent. It’s a terrific time for us all, agreed.

     

     

    Not following your 4 or 5 window thing though. He has signed a lot of defenders since summer 2010, Mulgrew, Izzy, Wilson, Wanyama, Lustig, Maj and Matthews, and would have signed Fojut if luck had not turned sour for the chap. Fact is he’s had much better output from his full backs than his centre halfs, and perhaps that highlights an issue or two.

     

     

    Pretty much Lenny’s team has been created from young Bosmans and the funds released by McGeady’s sale. So far so good. If QPR or whoever want to give us £7M for Ki, if we can pick up a couple mill more from the odd deal here and there, and the money is invested by Lenny as wisely as he has done so far, we ought to be well pleased.

     

     

    I reckon we’ll have lost a couple of million last year – to June 2012 – and this year’s finances are dominated by the headline issues and the Champions League. It is essential that any players sold feed the football department, not the cash shortfall, and a couple of good signings round about right now, with time to remedy by selling if it goes pear shaped in the ECL, is good business.

     

     

    TBB