CELTIC will, in more ways than one, be on unfamiliar territory when they play their first-ever Champions League game against Levante at Trondheim's Koteng Arena this evening. By contrast Glasgow City will have the comfort of home surroundings for their opener against Maltese champions Birkirkara at Broadwood.
City are European veterans, having played for 14 successive seasons in the Champions League and reached the quarter-finals twice. They should have little trouble in seeing off a side they beat 9-0 in the tournament eight years ago.
It's a very different story for SWPL1 runners-up Celtic. They did exceptionally well to finish ahead of Rangers and claim the second Scottish place in Europe, but as head coach Fran Alonso admitted, today is a different proposition altogether.
“We have never faced an opponent of the quality of Levante,” the Spaniard, who knows Levante better than most, confirmed. “It's a massive test, and for us it's about the experience and getting familiar with Europe.”
Levante, who finished third in the Primera Division last season behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, are one of the beneficiaries of the new format Champions League. It has been expanded to 72 teams, with the changes including the elite countries having three, instead of two, representatives.
For the first time ever, and in line with the men's Champions League, there will be a lucrative 16-team group stage. The downside for the Scottish clubs – Glasgow City regularly qualified for the previous last 16 knockout phase as well as the quarter finals – is that, and again like the men's tournament, the seeding is heavily weighted in favour of the top nations.
The winners of the 15 first round mini-tournaments being played this week will progress to a home and away second round. They will be joined by nine seeded teams, including Manchester City and Lyon, who are record seven-time Champions League winners.
Holders Barcelona, runners-up Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have all been given byes straight into the group stages and they will be joined by the twelve second round winners.
Winners of the Spanish league four times – but not since 2008 – Levante have a squad which boasts internationalists from seven different countries. One of them, Argentina defender Aldana Cometti, was an unused substitute in the infamous 3-3 draw which cost Scotland a place in the last 16 of the 2019 World Cup.
Win or lose, Celtic will stay in Trondheim for a second match on Saturday – either the final of the mini-tournament, with a second round place at stake, or a meaningless third place game against the losers of today's other group game between hosts Rosenborg and Belarus champions Minsk.
“I like the new format of the tournament, but the only issue is you lose one game and you are out,” Alonso said ahead of taking his players to train at the ground last night. “If I could choose I'd pick a different opponent, but it is what it is.”
Glasgow City, as well as enjoying home advantage, should have little difficulty disposing of their Birkirkara this morning. They will then be able to take in the later second mini-tournament game between BIIK Shymkent and Slovan Bratislava, also at Broadwood.
The side from Kazakhstan, formerly known as BIIK Kazygurt, beat City on away goals when the sides met in the last 32 of the tournament in 2017-18. Should the teams meet again in the mini-tournament final on Saturday it will be a much tougher game for interim head coach Grant Scott and his players.
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