2015-16 UEFA Champions League Qualifiers

Was watching Aberdeen yesterday and they looked very strong. 3-0 away in Europe is very good against a team like Rijeka, who were in the group stages of the Europa League the two last seasons.

Aberdeen in the group stage of the EL will do wonders for the Coefficient.

Now we are seeing Hearts buyng Nigerian nationals as well, almost from under our nose (but not quite).

National team looking much better as well.

All this can only be beneficial for Celtic.

We need a better league to become a better team, and things are looking up.

Aberdeen will be a domestic nuisance again this year, though. Worse than last season.

We have to step it up.

And we will.

 

Ffs saw the draw at work on my phone and thought not three bad but a bit more realistic now. Hope it's the mob from Montenegro but if it's Azerbaijan as least it's only east of Turkey and not * mongolia like Shak Parahandy was. Some might even get a cheapo flight deal via Damascus or Baghdad. Rudar themselves can't be that bad if they got a draw away to a half-decent (by all accounts) side.

For next round,looking as first leg results, i would expect a couple of casualties from this lot hopefully making things easier-

APOEL
BATE Borisov
Ludogorets
Maribor
Dinamo Zagreb.

I fancy us maybe 60/40 still to make groups. Hopefully get a 2/3-0 at home and they don't travel great so we can go away with a bit of confidence.

and breath!!:icon_mrgreen:

ps- ya * beaut....just noticed Rapid v Ajax.......can't lose on that one.

 

I wouldn't take a massive amount from previous European performances after the 3-0 result Aberdeen managed away last night to Rijeka who also had a very decent record at home at least.

Its all going to be about who performs better on the nights but despite that I'm fairly confident that we'll make it to the group stages this year.

 

I don't usually take confidence from a team we spank but seeing the sheep play dire gives me confidence that they went from complete gash to whooping a decent name away, within a week..

Shows just what match sharpness and competitive games can fo for you, I should know this by now but hey ho. By the time we finish off starnah and go in to the unknown, we'll be more than ready ..

 

I am pretty confident too we will make it to the group stage. Both Karabach and the teams we could meet in the playoffs are teams we should beat on a normal night.

I am also reasonably confident Aberdeen will make the groups of the EL.

For a betting man, there could be something to gain from backing Aberdeen in the coming european games.

Just a hunch, so don't sue me if I am wrong

 

Anyone thinking of going Azerbaijan?

 

Imagine out of no where we got 3 teams in europe. Would be quality.

 

I'm going, just not the week we will be there.

 

2 is possible, even probable, but 3 seems pretty much impossible now.

The legs of these teams just seem to buckle when they hear the name of a strange foreign team.

Lack of experience.

 

It would awesome. All I want is for us to get back to the days when we automatically gained entry to the CL Group Stage for winning our league.

So to get there we need some teams to play out their skin and up their whole game on a yearly basis.

Hopefully Hearts come back as a big team and make it into the qualifiers next year as well along with Aberdeen becoming a progressively improving side.

Celtic, Aberdeen and Hearts in the CL and EL each and every year would change the landscape of Scottish football immeasurable.

All the while the Huns are on the outside looking in.

 

Cough cough

 

It used to be as a seeded team we always played the second game at home, but I'm not sure now. I think you'll have to wait till the draw to find out.

 

Alright thanks will it defo be on a Wednesday ja say even just going to book a hotel twice

 

Play-off round
The play-off round is split into two separate sections: Champions Route (for league champions) and League Route (for league non-champions). The losing teams in both sections enter the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage.

The draw for the play-off round will be held on 7 August 2015.[23] The first legs will be played on 18 and 19 August, and the second legs will be played on 25 and 26 August 2015.


caveat: wiki

 

I think Aberdeen's style played a part though. They had to go on the front foot in the last round when their attacking players (McGinn, Pawlett, Rooney, Goodwillie etc) suit counter attacking football.

 

After Wednesday (Icelandic team) do we only have one more team to play and if we win that over the 2 legs, then we're in the group stages?

 

Naw. Two more rounds.

 

No we have to play the third round against probably Qarabag and then a play off round. So four more games, 2 rounds and we're in

 

No, play-off thereafter.

 

No! Still a play off round after that.