Celts possible Euro opponents
SOCCER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW
WITH a fourth league title in-a-row looking like it is already out of reach, Dundalk’s season could be rejuvenated by another European run in the weeks and months ahead.
For the third year running Stephen Kenny’s side will be entering the Champions League Qualifiers at the second qualifying round stage - the draw for which will take place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon on Monday morning.
Despite the club’s heroics in Europe last year, where they became the first Irish side to claim a point and subsequently a win in the group stages of a European competition, Dundalk have missed out on a seeding for this year’s draw.
That means the Lilywhites will have to do things the hard way if they are to build on last year’s journey to the group stages of the Europa League.
Invincible Scottish champions Celtic, Denmark’s FC Copenhagen – who were in Leicester City’s group last season – and a Legia Warsaw side who denied Dundalk a place in the Champions League group stages last August are just some of the sides that the League of Ireland champions could be paired with.
While teams from countries such as Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are amongst the 17 seeded teams in the draw, it is likely that UEFA will look to regionalise the draw once again this year as they have done in recent years.
While the exact configuration of that will only be determined either the night before or the morning of the draw itself, it is likely to once again limit the opposition to around six sides.
Based on previous experience this is likely to see Dundalk paired with one of the following: Celtic, FC Copenhagen, BATE Borisov, Rosenborg, Malmo or FH Hafnarfjordur. There is an outside bet that Poland’s Legia Warsaw and possibly Kazakhstan’s Astana could also be grouped as ‘Northern’ for the draw but either way there is little doubt that a repeat fixture with Iceland’s FH Hafnarfjordur would give Kenny’s men the best chance of progressing.
While a potential tie with Celtic would surely be the most appealing to those looking for a glamour tie, going head to head with Brendan Rodgers’ side now would be a much more difficult proposition than it perhaps would have been 12 months ago.
Equally a trip to Copenhagen would not be easy. The Danish champions thumped Crusaders 9-0 on aggregate at this stage last year and took nine points from a group which Leices- ter City and Porto advanced from.
A third successive meeting with BATE Borisov will also be hopefully avoided given the Belarusian side are likely to be thirsty for revenge after losing 3-0 to Dundalk in that famous night at Tallaght Stadium last August.
Norway’s Rosenborg and Swedish side Malmo – who Dundalk faced in the UEFA Cup in 1995/96 – would be potentially easier ties than the three aforementioned but both are in mid-season and, ominously, both are top of their respective leagues at present. Celtic and Copenhagen, while amongst the top seeds, would at least be in pre-season and could be caught cold.
That leaves FH Hafnarfjordur, the side Dundalk beat on away goals last July to begin a memorable European adventure.
Given their knowledge of the Icelandic outfit, the fact they have only won two of their opening six league matches so far this season and that they are the lowest ranked of the seeded teams, this is the dream draw if Dundalk have ambitions to advance.
The club’s backroom
team also have knowledge of sorting out the likes of accommodation in Reykjavik and fans too would unlikely to be put off by the prospect of paying the guts of €9 for a pint. Dundalk fans haven’t had too much to cheer this year but a pairing with FH in the land of fire and ice
could be the spark needed to ignite a disappointing season.
We await Monday’s draw with bated breath.
The first leg will be played on July 11th or 12th with the return leg set for July 19th/20th. The draw for the third qualifying round will be made the Friday after the first leg
on July 14th.