After the heady heights of last year's Champions League, Celtic will tomorrow discover the draw for their next stab at qualification for Europe's premier club competition, writes Cameron Davies.
Celtic will be entered into the second round of qualification against potential opposition including Northern Irish champions Cliftonville and Welsh champions The New Saints. However, some intimidating ties could take place against improving sides from Kazakhstan and Bosnia.
The third round could provide potential slip-ups such as Slovenian side NK Maribor. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Molde FK could provide a Scandinavian threat along with Swedes IF Elfsborg and Finland's HJK Helsinki.
Veterans of Champions League qualification also perhaps lying in wait are Israel's most successful club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, managed by Jordi Cruyff.
Nevertheless, Neil Lennon's side are expected to progress with relative ease through their first two stages of qualification, before having to face more dangerous opposition as a final barrier to group-stage qualification – such as Croatian team Dinamo Zagreb or Czech side Viktoria Plzen.
The Czechs held the seven-time Champions League winners AC Milan to a 2-2 draw in the 2012 Champions League, and have consistently proved themselves in the Europa League. Dinamo Zagreb were interestingly the first beneficiaries of the "away goals" rule in European competition and this allowed them to defeat Celtic's fellow Scots Dunfermline Athletic in 1967. In 2010 Zagreb continued their success against Scottish clubs with a 4-2 victory over Hearts, another victory to add to their British conquering, while they also held defending champions Manchester United in 1999.
Even with the potential eastern European hazards which may befall Celtic, their inspired performances in last season's competition should help to instil great confidence in the side, and perhaps stand them in good stead for similar exploits in next season's Champions League.
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