Word is KR tie is as good as a bye for Celts
KR Reykjavik’s chances have been written off by David Winnie, their former player and manager.
The ex-Aberdeen and St Mirren star reacted to the draw by describing the tie as being as good as a “bye” for Neil Lennon’s side.
And current manager Runar Kristinsson was of largely similar mind as he learned he would be taking his side to Celtic Park for a one-off tie behind closed doors.
Pointing to the fact the game would come at a time when his team had played just once in three weeks, he said it’s a “very difficult” task for the visitors.
Established on February 16 1899 by Scottish ex-pat engineer, Frank McGregor, KR have a proud heritage.
They are the oldest football club in Iceland, and their record of 27 league-title wins is the country’s best.
In 1999, they recorded a very creditable 1-0 victory over Kilmarnock in the first leg of the clubs’ UEFA Cup first round tie.
However, it was not enough to progress as they lost the return 2-0.
In addition to Winnie, who went to Iceland to wind down his playing career – and met his wife while there – they number Eidur Gudjohnsen among their former players.
The striker, who came on a loan from PSV Eindhoven, would later go on to play for Chelsea, Monaco and Barcelona. It hasn’t all been highlights, though. They provided the opposition in Aberdeen’s first-ever European match in a Cup Winners’ Cup tie in 1967/68 and crashed 10-0 at Pittodrie.
That win remains the Dons’ biggest success in continental competition.
And KR’s 2014 meeting with Celtic saw them go down home and away – 1-0 at home and then 4-0 in Scotland for a 5-0 aggregate defeat.
That was their last outing in the Champions League and their manager will hope to avoid going down to a similar total in the one-off match on Tuesday night.
The winners of the tie will play the victors from the match between Ferencvaros of Hungary and the Swedish side Djurgaarden.
While their players will point to the recent European action throwing up some “strange results”, all odds would suggest that will not be KR Reykjavik.