Celtic in Europe: Who could Hoops face in UEFA Champions League qualifiers?

Kristoffer Ajer keeps an eye on Rosenborg's Nicklas Bendtner in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round in August 2018. Picture: AFP/Getty Images

There are still a number of teams to be decided, with some European leagues still to reach a conclusion. However, in some cases, it’s fairly straightforward to predict.

Seven teams are already confirmed in the unseeded pot - Celtic are on the seeded side of the draw in the first qualifying round, which will most likely be regionalised.

Confirmed so far are Ferencvaros of Hungary, Nomme Kalju of Estonia, Icelandic side Valur, Northern Irish side Linfield, Havnar Bóltfelag of the Faroe Islands, Riga of Latvia, Georgian outfit Saburtalo Tbilisi and the champions of the Montenegrin First League. Defending champions Sutjeska Niksic are on course for the title but FK Buducnost Podgorica could yet overtake their rivals with four matches remaining. The two teams still have to play each other with Buducnost having the home advantage.

Out of those teams, Celtic could be drawn against Linfield or Havnar Bóltfelag based on the regionalised aspect of the draw. By the same token, the Hoops won’t face Irish side Dundalk, who have been confirmed as a seeded team.

There are six teams who could yet end up on either side of the draw - Shkendija of Macedonia, Welsh champions The New Saints (TNS), Slovan Bratislava of Slovaka, Swedish side AIK, last year’s opponents Suduva Marijampole of Lithuania and Maltese outfit Valletta.

Who else could Celtic face?

Due to seeding, Celtic definitely won’t face old foes Qarabag, Astana, Rosenborg, HJK Helsinki or Maccabi Tel Aviv - in the first round, at least. Belarusians BATE Borisov, APOEL of Cyprus, Red Star Belgrade and Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova are also seeded.

Seeding is still to be decided for the champions of Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Armenia and Luxembourg.

Which teams could win those leagues?

Romania: The regular season of Liga I is complete, with the top six teams now contesting the Championship round. CFR Cluj currently sit top, with FCSB five points behind in second with two matches left to play. The two teams will face each other in one of those games.

Poland: As with Romania, the regular season of the Ekstraklasa is over with the 16 teams now split into two divisions of eight contesting the Championship round and Relegation round. Last year’s champions Legia Warsaw lead with 66 points, but Piast Gliwice sit second on 65 points. Lechia Gdansk are also in the mix with 63 points in third. All three teams have three matches remaining. Legia have home matches against Pogon Szczecin and Zaglebie Lubin, with a trip to face Jagiellonia Bialystok in between. Piast face Jagiellonia and Lech Poznan at home and a midweek trip to Pogon Szczecin. Lechia face Zaglebie at home, Poznan away and Jagiellonia at home.

Bulgaria: Two matches remain in the Championship round in Bulgaria, with Ludogorets Razgrad holding top spot at the time of writing, three points clear of second-placed CSKA Sofia. The table is on track for a repeat of last year, when Ludogorets finished ahead of CSKA.

Slovenia: No such split in the Slovenian top flight, with five matches remaining. NK Maribor are top of the pile with 71 points, while nearest rivals Olimpija Ljubljana are in second on 60 points, and not mathematically out of the title race just yet.

Albania: FK Partizani sit top of the Albanian Superliga, but FK Kukesi are still in with a chance. Neither side has a scheduled fixture against disqualified side Kamza, so no chance of any 3-0 walkovers. The two teams face each other on May 25.

BiH: Still all to play for in the Premijer liga Bosne i Hercegovine, with three matches remaining. FK Sarajevo top the pile with 64 points, while reigning champions Zrinjski Mostar are six points behind and 24 goals worse off. However, they could still pip Sarajevo to the title if results go their way.

Armenia: Things are getting tight at the top of the Armenian Premier League. Pyunik currently lead the table on 52 points, Ararat-Armenia are in second on 49 points and a goal difference of +20 while Banants are also on 49 points with a goal difference of +14. Defending champions Alashkert are also in the mix on 46 points.

However, Pyunik and Ararat-Armenia have two games remaining while Banans and Alashkert have three left to play. At the moment, it’s all to play for.

Luxembourg: It’s even tighter at the top of the Luxembourg National Division. F91 Dudelange - who last year stunned Legia Warsaw and CFR Cluj in the same competition - are top with 53 points, +36 goal difference and 24 games played. Fola Esch lie second with 47 points, +36 goal difference and 24 games played. Based on upcoming fixtures, the league flag should be heading for the Stade Jos Nosbaum, but nothing’s ever certain in football.

Any other teams still to be decided?

Yes - the winners from the preliminary round. The competing teams are yet to be decided but the champions of Andorra, Gibraltar, Kosovo and San Marino will contest the round.

The four teams will be seeded or unseeded depending on UEFA co-efficient and will be drawn into single-leg semi-final and final ties. The losers of both semi-final and final rounds enter the 2019/20 Europa League at the second qualifying round stage.

Lincoln Red Imps and Europa FC are fighting for top spot in Gibraltar with the Imps leading by two points with two games remaining and there’s a three-way battle in Andorra between FC Santa Coloma, Sant Julia and Inter Club d’Escaldes - with two matches remaining Santa Coloma are on 51 points, Sant Julia on 50 points and Inter Club on 47.

In San Marino’s convoluted league system, four teams are vying to be named league winners: La Fiorita, Libertas, Tre Fiori and Tre Penne. The winner will be determined by a knockout final following two semi-finals.

An interesting scenario has arisen in Kosovo’s Football Superleague: the current league-leaders, Feronikeli, don’t have a UEFA license. The two teams in joint-second, Llapi and Prishtina, do. Feronikeli are currently on 71 points, while Llapi and Prishtina are on 69 points with an identical goal difference. There are three matches remaining, with Feronikeli facing Llapi and Prishtina in their final two games.

How does seeding work?

UEFA decides seeding based on individual club records. So if Legia Warsaw, for instance, win the Ekstraklasa then Celtic will avoid the Polish side because of their past record. If Piast Gliwice or Lechia Gdansk win the title, then there’s every chance Celtic could draw the Polish league-winners.

Of the teams currently vying for entry to the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round Ludogorets Razgrad, FK Kukesi, Zrinjski Mostar and Legia Warsaw were all seeded in Group 1, 2 or 3, with Celtic seeded in group 3.

F91 Dudelange, Olimpija Ljubljana, Alashkert, Suduva Marijampole, Valletta and Sutjeska Niksic were all unseeded in Group 1, 2 or 3.

How many games do Celtic have to play?

Celtic will have to get through four two-legged ties i.e. eight matches to reach the group stage. - three qualifying rounds and a play-off round.

When is the draw for the first round?

Celtic will find out their first-round opponents on June 18, with the first leg of the match taking place during the second week of July.