It seems to have come around so quickly, but last night the competitive club football returned. European qualifying rounds have began with the 2 Glasgow sides kicking off their campaigns.
Celtic
The champions of Scotland started with a 3-1 away win over FK Sarajevo. Going down 1-0 to the Bosnia and Herzegovina champions meant a spirited comeback was required. An equaliser from Mikey Johnston put the teams in level at Halftime before second half goals from Scott Sinclair and Odsonne Edouard. Celtic take a 3-1 lead back to Glasgow next week with every expectation of building on that aggregate scoreline. The winner of this tie will play the winner of the Macadonian Champions Shkeddija or Estonian outfit Nomme Kalju.
Rangers
The other side of Glasgow will take a healthier 4-0 win back with them as they defeated Gibraltarian side St Josephs. A very comfortable result which saw all the goals in the second half from Jack, debutante Ojo, Goldson and Morelos. The result will likely see the Ibrox side face Cork City of Ireland or the all too familiar Progres Niederkorn from Luxembourg who famously overcame a 1-0 defeat at Ibrox in 2017 to go into the second round of qualifying.
Aberdeen
Thursday 11th of July will see Aberdeen kick off their 6th successive European campaign. They will face RoPS Rovaneimi of Finland. The Fins were runners up in the Finnish Premier Division last season and are already 15 games into their league. Although sitting 10th of 12 teams, the match sharpness will be interesting to see against a fresh Aberdeen team. Expectations would have Aberdeen going through but their potential 2nd round tie gets a bit more awkward. CS Fola Esch of Luxembourg or FC Chikhura Sachkhere of Georgia await the winner of this tie.
Kilmarnock
18 years after our last adventure. We make our way down to Rhyl to play Connah’s Quay Nomads in the first leg. Connah’s made their way to the Scottish Challenge cup final last year before losing 3-1 to Ross County. They are a physical team who seem to live off long balls into the box. A 0-0 friendly draw with Aberdeen last week could be good prep for the Welsh side. Killie have a couple of new signings that could feature but with all change at the Killie wheel, it’s a strong test for Angelo Alessio’s side. FK Partizan, or Partizan Belgrade as they are better known, will face either of these sides on the 25th of July.
So that’s that. A short preview of the Scottish sides who are beginning their competitive games in Europe. More to follow as teams progress…hopefully!
Cheers!
Post Match Pints 