Champions League: Celtic will play either Elfsborg or Daugava Daugavpils in qualifier

A trip to Sweden or Latvia awaits the Scottish champions

Lisa Gray
Friday 19 July 2013 07:04 EDT
Comments
Neil Lennon is at the centre of celebrations after Celtic clinch the title
Neil Lennon is at the centre of celebrations after Celtic clinch the title (GETTY IMAGES)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Celtic will face Swedish side Elfsborg or Daugava Daugavpils of Latvia in the third qualifying round of the Champions League should they progress in the competition.

The Hoops are in the driving seat for a place in the next round after securing a convincing 3-0 first win leg over Northern Ireland champions Cliftonville ahead of next week's return leg in Glasgow.

Elfsborg are set to provide the opposition for the Scottish champions in the next round as a result of their emphatic 7-1 advantage over the Latvians from the first leg.

Celtic overcame Swedish opposition in the shape of Helsingborg at the qualification stage last year en route to the group stages of the tournament.

Neil Lennon's men will be hopeful of also overcoming Elfsborg, who currently sit fifth in Allsvenskan, as they seek to take their place among Europe's elite once again.

Celtic impressed in continental competition last season, perhaps surprising some with their results and performances.

The highlight of the campaign - which also included group matches against Benfica and Spartak Moscow - was undoubtedly a famous 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the east end of Glasgow last November.

The win helped them progress to the knockout stages, where the European adventure eventually came to an end with a last-16 exit at the hands of Italian giants Juventus.

The dates for the third qualifying round of the Champions League are scheduled for July 30/31 and August 6/7.

The UEFA Chamions League Third Round Qualifying draw is as follows:

FC Nordsjaelland vs. Zenit St Petersburg
SV Red Bull Salzburg vs. Fenerbahce
PAOK Salonika vs. FC Metalist Kharkiv
PSV vs. Zulte-Waregem
Lyon vs. Grasshoppers
Basel vs. Gyori Eto / M. Tel Aviv FC
Sligo Rovers / Molde vs. The New Saints / Legia
Slovan Bratislava / Ludogorets vs. FC Shirak / FK Partizan
Dinamo Tbilisi / EB Streymur vs. Steaua Bucuresti / Vardar
Apoel Nicosia vs. Birkirkara / Maribor
Celtic / Cliftonville vs. IF Elfsborg / FC Daugava
BATE / Shakhter Karagandy vs. Neftci PFK / KS Skenderbeu
FK Austria Vienna vs. FK Ekranas / FH Hafnarfjordur
HJK Helsinki / Nomme Kalju vs. Plzen / FK Zeljeznicar
CS Fola Esch / Dinamo Zaqreb / FC Sheriif / FK Sutjeska


The ties will be played on 30/31 July and 6/7 August

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in