Celtic all set for European seeding next season

CELTIC will almost certainly be seeded in all three Champions League qualifying rounds next season as the dust starts to settle in European title races.

Celtic will be seeded for next season's Champions League. Picture: Jane Barlow

The Scottish champions will have to negotiate the second and third qualifying rounds as well as the play-off round if they are to reach the group stages again.

Celtic currently have six teams with a higher co-efficient than them that could be seeded in the qualifiers, but it would take a bizarre set of circumstances for Neil Lennon’s team not to be seeded.

Out of the six teams, the likely Swiss champions Basle are almost certain to go directly into the group stage and the five other teams would have to win their title for Celtic not to be seeded.

Although Salzburg have 
already won the league in Austria, and Steaua Bucharest are well clear in the Romanian League, three other teams are struggling to win their titles.

FC Copenhagen are third in the Danish league, Viktoria Plzen are second in the Czech league and ten points behind Sparta Prague with six games to play.

And APOEL are second in the Cypriot league, three points behind AEL Limassol with six games left.

It means Celtic will almost certainly have a less daunting path to reach the group stages again.