da fezbet： The football season is barely over and already Celtic fans can look forward to the Hoops getting back in action after the draw was made for the 2nd Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League.
da marjack bet： It’s become a summer ritual for the Hoops. They win the league, have a short break and then get back to it on a quest to reach the proper stages of the continent’s most prestigious competition.
Over the years Celtic have had their ups and downs in this qualification process, landmark wins against the likes of Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Shakhtar Karagandy have been marred by defeats to teams such as Malmo and Maribor.
However, under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers fans can look ahead with optimism and know that in either Linfield or SP La Fiorita they face a tie that they should win.
Those two sides, from Northern Ireland and San Marino will go at it in the prior round to win a chance to face the Hoops and we have the lowdown on each for you right here.
These are the FOUR things you need to know ahead of Celtic’s first competitive match of the season in early July…
Linfield are managed by a former Rangers player
Linfield is a name that isn’t too unfamiliar to Celtic fans. With strong cultural ties to and an affinity with arch-rivals Rangers, it’s fair to say there will be no love lost between the two sides if they meet next month.
However, what fans may not know is that they are managed by none other than Northern Ireland legend and former Rangers striker David Healy.
A name known to most football fans in the UK due to his fantastic goalscoring form for his country, the Linfield manager also had lengthy spells at the likes of Leeds United and Preston North End after coming through the youth ranks at Manchester United in the 1990s.
His time at Rangers was hardly a roaring success on a personal level but he was part of the side that won the Scottish Premier League in 2010/11.
At Linfield as manager he has guided them to their first league title since 2012, pipping Crusaders to top spot by just two points. With a 68% win record as manager of the Blues, he certainly appears to be doing a fantastic job although he has not yet faced a side of Celtic’s quality.
Linfield have never progressed past this stage
Since qualification rounds for the UEFA Champions League began, Linfield have never progressed past the stage at which they could face Celtic. The NIFL Premiership champions have generally struggled to get past the 1st Qualification Round historically but did get through to this stage of the competition in 2012 when they were dumped out by then Cypriot champions AEL Limassol.
They’ve also struggled in UEFA Europa League qualifying and nothing of their recent record suggests that they’ll be able to compete with what Celtic have to offer.
Optimists in the Blues support will point to last season’s freak loss to Lincoln Red Imps as a sign that Celtic can be defeated but over two legs it will be nigh on impossible for them to progress.
They’ve lost their last five European matches against the likes of Cork City and Slovakian side Spartak Trnava and will need to improve massively from those showings if they’re to have any chance at all.
La Fiorita’s captain is a San Marino legend
Of course, it may not even be Linfield that Celtic end up facing. Although the Northern Irish champions should dispose of the side from San Marino, La Fiorita may spring a surprise and win the right to face giants Celtic.
If they do then they’ll have likely tapped into the good form for their captain, San Marino legend Andy Selva. Incredibly the striker just turned 41 and still features for both club and country having made his debut for the national team way back in 1998.
His eight goals at international level may not sound like much but by San Marino standards it’s a massive total, he is the tiny country’s all-time top international goalscorer.
With a fine career in the Italian lower leagues he is probably their greatest threat despite his advancing years, although he’ll have to turn it on against David Healy’s side, who is four years his junior, if he is to be able to face the Hoops.
La Fiorita have only scored one goal in UEFA competition
Sadly for La Fiorita, their European record doesn’t exactly point to a great chance of overcoming Linfield. The side have played in European competition on 10 occasions across five qualifying ties and have not won a single match. Not only that but they’ve only scored one goal, conceding a massive 35.
Their heaviest aggregate defeat came in 2015/16 when they were defeated 10-1 in the 1st Round of Europa League qualifying.
If they are to do anything against Linfield it will be a massive shock and by the time they reach Celtic, it would be more about the experience of facing a European giant rather than expecting anything result wise.