Will Scots enjoy luck of the draw?
COTLAND’S European representatives will learn their fate in the Champions League and Europa League qualifiers, respectively, when UEFA convenes today in Nyon.
Rangers and St Johnstone go in at the first qualifying round of the Europa League on June 29, with Aberdeen joining them a round and a fortnight later.
Celtic, who face three qualifiers to reach the group stage of the Champions League again, also start their campaign in the same week as the Dons.
The first two rounds are drawn at the same time, meaning there is a possibility of either/or scenarios.
Here, Sportsmail takes a look at the worst and best-case scenarios awaiting each of the four Scottish clubs.
In recent years, Celtic have come up against the likes of Cliftonville, Stjarnan and Lincoln Red Imps at this stage. Slovakian champions MSK Zilina would be a long way from that.
Last season they rose from fifth place to win their national title for a seventh time. Sides like Slovan Bratislava and Spartak Trnava were edged out in the process.
In mid-July, their compact stadium will be hot and sticky. Remember this is the stage — and the country — where Gordon Strachan’s side met Artmedia Bratislava 12 years ago.
WHO TO HOPE FOR
Georgia’s Samtredia and Latvia’s Spartaks Jurmala are fine from a football perspective but not a travelling one.
Finnish champs IFK Mariehamn would tick both boxes for the seeded Scottish champions.
The minnows, who won their national title for the first time last season, have only been in Europe twice before and failed to win a tie on both occasions.
The 4,000-capacity Wiklof Holding Arena is not one of the game’s hotbeds.
BUT WOULD SETTLE FOR...
As things stands, League of Ireland champions Dundalk are third best of the non-seeded sides, but rest assured Brendan Rodgers would gladly take a short hop back across the Irish Sea as a first competitive engagement. Now managed by former Dunfermline manager Stephen Kenny, the Lilywhites do boast a fairly impressive recent European pedigree.
They beat no less a side than BATE Borisov in a Champions League qualifier last year — a win that set them up for a Europa League adventure with Zenit, AZ Alkmaar and Maccabi Tel Aviv. But Celtic should have far too much for them.
RANGERS: WHO TO AVOID
UEFA do tend to vaguely regionalise the first-round draw at the last minute. This should prevent Rangers being paired with the likes of FC Prishtina from Kosovo but with 100 teams in the hat there are many to avoid from a travelling perspective.
Bosnian’s Siroki Brijeg are a case in point. Assuming Pedro Caixinha’s men do progress, they will be unseeded in the second round. Galatasaray would top the list of the unwanted.
WHO TO HOPE FOR
Both Coleraine and Ballymena United would represent a short hop to Northern Ireland and there’s little to suggest either would provide much of a sporting challenge.
Provided the first hurdle is cleared with no great difficulty, Odd Grenland of Norway would be an agreeable next opponent with Greek side Panionios the lowest ranking of the seeded sides.
BUT WOULD SETTLE FOR...
The climate is as much of a concern as opponent in the first round. To that end, Vaasa or SJK Seinäjoki of Finland would be acceptable.
Truthfully, there are no walkovers in the second round. Luzern of Switzerland, Denmark’s Brondby or Holland’s Utrecht would balance few travelling difficulties with a reasonable chance of progression.
ST JOHNSTONE: WHO TO AVOID
Like Rangers, Saints are seeded in the first round meaning, in theory, fewer travelling concerns but a trip to Armenia to face Alashkert two years ago made a mockery of the regionalisation system.
Tommy Wright could well live without another epic journey to the likes of Kazakhstan to face top seeds Irtysh Pavlodar.
Saints will be seeded if they progress to round two and Aberdeen’s old adversaries Kairat Almaty — another Kazak side — could lie in wait.
WHO TO HOPE FOR
Rangers won’t be the only ones hoping Coleraine and Ballymena United come out of the hat as an opening assignment.
Saints boss Wright would like nothing better than a winnable tie on his own doorstep.
Unfortunately, the lowest ranked non-seeded sides in the second round are mostly from far-flung places. Dacia Chisinau of Moldova, Mladost Podgorica of Montenegro, Zira FK of Azerbaijan, Northern Ireland’s Crusaders or Brann Bergen of Norway look the best bet.
BUT WOULD SETTLE FOR...
Again, something relatively close to home and not too taxing. So the likes of Vaasa or, dare we say it, Lincoln Red Imps would do the trick first off.
Saints can’t be too choosy thereafter but Iceland’s Stjarnan, Hungary’s Ferencváros or Vaduz of Liechenstein would be deemed to be acceptable.
ABERDEEN: WHO TO AVOID
By dint of reaching the Scottish Cup final, Derek McInnes’ side go into round two meaning they need not trouble themselves with turkey shoots of recent times.
But it means they have no time to get up to speed. The Dons do have the benefit of being seeded so, like Saints, will hope to avoid a reunion with Kairat Almaty or a pairing with Croatia’s NK Osijek or Bosnia’s FK Sarajevo.
WHO TO HOPE FOR
Still to reshape his depleted squad, McInnes will be praying for a gentle introduction to the season. Crusaders should be straightforward in every sense. Levadia Tallinn would make for a fairly lengthy trip but a good chance of progressing. Valletta of Malta would also represent the best of both worlds.
BUT WOULD SETTLE FOR...
See St Johnstone in round two. You could also throw in, NK Domzale of Slovenia even Kalju Nomme of Estonia and Norway’s FK Haugesund. The Dons have fallen at the third qualifying round in each of the past three seasons. All they want is a reasonable shot at getting there.