Celts facing 3 knockout 90 minutes to qualify

CELTIC will face a series of treacherous one-off knockout clashes to get to the Champions League group stage after UEFA unveiled its revamped plans for European competitions. Neil Lennon’s men will face four qualifying

rounds – three restricted to 90-minute showdowns at venues decided by the toss of a coin.

The play-off stage will be two legs and while Celts are expected to be seeded for the early rounds, they are still sweating on their status if they get to the final hurdle.

Celtic will kick off the first qualifier on August 18 or 19, with the next stage a week later. The third round is on September 15 or 16, with the play-offs September 22-23 and a week later

UEFA chief Aleksander Cerefin also revealed plans for the Europa League.

Celtic’s continental campaign – which begins the week after the Scottish Premiership is pencilled in to kick-off on August 1.

They have failed to make the group stage in the last two seasons after two qualifying under Brendan Rodgers.

The Hoops have yet to learn their potential opponents in this coming season’s qualifiers as leagues across Europe remain in a state of flux.

But they are expected to come up against some familiar foes in the early stages such as Astana, Molde and Sarajevo.

The initial stages are expected to be played behind closed doors but UEFA are confident fans will be allowed back in, potentially during the qualification process.

Scottish Government chiefs have outlawed crowds until they reach phase four of the Covid 19 recovery process – but the current target is by the end of August.

UEFA president Cerefin said: “I am delighted we are able to resume almost all of our competitions. I am confident we will not have to endure the fans’ absence for long and that they will be allowed into stadiums sooner rather than later.

“UEFA took a bold decision to postpone Euro 2020. But in doing so we created the space which has allowed domestic club competitions across the continent to resume, where possible, and play to a conclusion.

“While the game has suffered huge difficulties as a result of the pandemic, those blows would have landed much harder if we had not shown leadership in those early days.

“I would like to thank FIFA, our sister confederations, national associations, clubs, leagues, players and the relevant authorities for their continuous support and commitment and I am convinced that we come out of this crisis stronger and with closer links than ever before.”