The winners of Celtic-Cluj will face Slavia Prague in the final Champions League qualification round later this month. Slavia reached the Europa League quarterfinals last season, eliminating Sevilla – who practically own that trophy – on the way.
They also disposed of Bordeaux and Genk before losing to eventual winners, Chelsea. Dinamo Kiev knocked them out in Champions League qualification.
Although this will be Slavia’s first Champions League qualifier, they have played four domestic league games already, so are likely to be as fit as Celtic, should the sides meet in two weeks.
Two central defenders at the heart of that Europa League run were sold this summer (both heading to Belgium), with much of the money (€4m) going on a creative mid Romanian, Nicolae Stanciu (26), brought home from Saudi – a significant investment for a Romanian club.
Two years ago Slavia were knocked out at the qualification stage by Apoel Nicosia (another team we could have been drawn against today), while Anderlecht eliminated them from the Europa qualifiers three years ago. Viktoria Plzen, who finished runners up to Slavia in May, reached the Champions League group stage last season, where they finished behind Real Madrid and Roma, but above CSKA Moscow.
Slavia and Plzen showed enough last season to indicate that Czech clubs are dangerous, but this is the playoff round and we were always going to need to work for it.
Cluj first: no injuries, no suspensions, please.
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Before spending any more, I’d rather we spoke with a qualified immigration lawyer to give our US players – Gutman and Perez – the chance of making the squad. Don’t get it!!
TIMALOY29 on 6TH AUGUST 2019 10:53 AM
Agreed. I haven’t seen much of O’Donnell, but did watch him in the International against Cyprus. He was absolutely awful, if that game was any measure of his abilities. Not saying he couldn’t maybe do a job for us, but I don’t think that he will improve the team in anyway, and that’s what we need.
Having let Mika leave at the end of last season, it would be illogical to replace him with someone of lesser ability.
🍀⚽️
new article posted.
FOOL TIME WHISTLE on 5TH AUGUST 2019 8:06 PM
What is very noticeable from that 1872 statement is a complete absence of any apportioning of blame to supporters for the damage caused, pitch invasion, injury to fans and opening of fire exit doors.
:-) they don’t do insight.no ability whatsoever to realise they are erring,in the middle of an error,or carried out an error.no ability to learn as it’s the mistakes fault.:-)
If you didn’t know better you’d think the statement was a Level Five production and merely disguised as a Supporters Voice Limited response.
:-) The real point of your post imo ftw.just who or what are 187? Questionining? On whose behalf?-i ask this as a judge last week exposed the nookkklub company sec as bullshitter.company sec also on board of 187? Who fart out statements for fun.the judge seen thro Blair’s ‘gocky’ built on cheating speak. :-)
When the Newco official Newco response emerges then…oh wait …here it is.
:-) what/what is speaking on behalf of
Trfc2012.:-)
“R*****s FC admit our fans are thugs, drunks & ne’er-do-wells who arrived late to the Rugby Park ground in a drunken state, refused to be searched and thus caused delays to fellow supporters gaining entry to the ground in a timely manner. They refused to sit in seats provided for them, damaged many of them and indulged in the obligatory trashing of toilets. They sang sectarian tunes throughout the game and lost any sense of supporter decorum by invading the field of play, while damaging property and injuring some of their fellow fans in the disabled section.”
:-)From the telly is broke school of excusary
Meant to ask do to win a blazer for best statement lol :-)
Hope all’s well your side
HH
Lenny in Cluj
https://celticfc.tv/tv/video/vod/18730