Europe

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SunshineOnLeith

Celtic are (cup final performance aside) miles better than any team we'll play in our first tie. The very worst case scenario would be to get somebody almost as good as Rangers, but still worse. Our last two games against them are a win and a draw.

---

Shakhtar or Braga will be the same standard as Celtic. On paper, Shakhtar are probably better than them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SunshineOnLeith

Celtic are (cup final performance aside) miles better than any team we'll play in our first tie. The very worst case scenario would be to get somebody almost as good as Rangers, but still worse. Our last two games against them are a win and a draw.

---

Not sure about that. I’d suspect there’ll be a good few sides better than Rangers that we could get.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CallumLaidlaw

Shakhtar or Braga will be the same standard as Celtic. On paper, Shakhtar are probably better than them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

You don't think Celtic are better than the third best team in Ukraine (who Celtic outperformed in this season's champions League considerably) or the fourth best team in Portugal who finished 25th in the same Europa League than Rangers finished 8th in?

They're both good sides but Celtic and Rangers would expect to take care of either of them pretty handily over two legs.

Question - can we still get Lugano?

I quite fancy that as a trip.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mcbizz1998

Question - can we still get Lugano?

I quite fancy that as a trip.

---

We can, the cup final is Sunday. However, it would be played in Geneva.

Thanks CG

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hibernian Verse

We can, the cup final is tomorrow. However, it would be played in Geneva.

---

Sunday

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hibernian Verse

We can, the cup final is tomorrow. However, it would be played in Geneva.

---

By convention?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hibernian Verse

We can, the cup final is Sunday. However, it would be played in Geneva.

Thanks CG

---

Sounds like a bit of a Swiss to me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SunshineOnLeith

You don't think Celtic are better than the third best team in Ukraine (who Celtic outperformed in this season's champions League considerably) or the fourth best team in Portugal who finished 25th in the same Europa League than Rangers finished 8th in?

They're both good sides but Celtic and Rangers would expect to take care of either of them pretty handily over two legs.

---

Shaktar I think have dropped off quite a bit since the war, they were a really good side before that, often making the CL knockout rounds. I agree these days you'd make Celtic favourites.

Still think we'd be massive underdogs against them though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Since90+2

Shaktar I think have dropped off quite a bit since the war, they were a really good side before that, often making the CL knockout rounds. I agree these days you'd make Celtic favourites.

Still think we'd be massive underdogs against them though.

---

Of course we would, they're the best team (by quite a distance) we could face. All I'm saying is that whatever the draw, we'll have a chance of progressing - it's not an Aston Villa situation in this round.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hibernian Verse

We can, the cup final is Sunday. However, it would be played in Geneva.

Thanks CG

---

Thanks.

Why would it be played in Geneva?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mcbizz1998

Thanks.

Why would it be played in Geneva?

---

Lugano play in a really small stadium.

Seen Geneva mentioned but the played in Thun last season I think.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HUTCHYHIBBY

Sounds like a bit of a Swiss to me.

---

You just need to roll with it

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SunshineOnLeith

Of course we would, they're the best team (by quite a distance) we could face. All I'm saying is that whatever the draw, we'll have a chance of progressing - it's not an Aston Villa situation in this round.

---

Not sure they are the best team by a distance. Id make them against Braga or Anderlecht a 5050.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MKHIBEE

You just need to roll with it

---

Not more cheesy puns!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eyrie

Not more cheesy puns!

---

Wotsit to you?

Basel won the Swiss Cup today.

Lugano now showing on wiki as a seeded side in the Europa League qualifying round 2.

Now a possible opponent for us in this round.

When is the draw for the earlier round and will we find out then who we will be getting at the same time as well?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bingo70

When is the draw for the earlier round and will we find out then who we will be getting at the same time as well?

---

Draw for qualifying round 1 is 17 June.

Draw for qualifying round 2 (when we come in) 18 June. So could be ?????? or ?????? v Hibs. We won't know until then if first leg is home or away. First leg of our game is 21 July.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eyrie

Not more cheesy puns!

---

This place is emmental at times.

Now the sides are confirmed there are definitely ties that we can either win or compete in IMO. Won’t be easy but we have at least a fighting chance against the majority. Would be looking to avoid Shakhtar and Braga.

I know a few need to get through Q1 but there doesn’t look much chance of a shock looking at it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JeMeSouviens

This place is emmental at times.

---

Gouda you to remind me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by B.H.F.C

Now the sides are confirmed there are definitely ties that we can either win or compete in IMO. Won’t be easy but we have at least a fighting chance against the majority. Would be looking to avoid Shakhtar and Braga.

I know a few need to get through Q1 but there doesn’t look much chance of a shock looking at it.

---

I think we would beat Lugano and Sheriff Tiraspol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SteveHFC

I think we would beat Lugano and Sheriff Tiraspol.

---

Sheriff are not showing as one of the seeded sides any more.

https://x.com/footrankings/status/1929240075277115396?s=46&t=VghJuoU_bl8ISs-zf5CmHg

I think we’d really need to avoid Shakhtar, Braga, Anderlecht (based on their profile as a club rather than being the 4th? Best team in Belgium) and Midtyjlland, everyone else we would be big underdogs for a reason but we would stand a chance if we played well and got a bit luck.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by B.H.F.C

Now the sides are confirmed there are definitely ties that we can either win or compete in IMO. Won’t be easy but we have at least a fighting chance against the majority. Would be looking to avoid Shakhtar and Braga.

I know a few need to get through Q1 but there doesn’t look much chance of a shock looking at it.

---

my travel plans are getting made on all the first round seeds winning for both possible away dates

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SteveHFC

I think we would beat Lugano and Sheriff Tiraspol.

---

I’d throw Partizan in with them as well. They best Lugano narrowly last year so assume they’re of a similar level. Think they’d be winnable ties.

Think Anderlecht, Warsaw and Midtjylland a step up from them but we would be competitive and have a chance. Would take two very good performances though.

Shakhtar and Braga would be two big shocks if we did anything .

Paks of Hungary look like we'd stand a good chance

Nicky Cadden to (gou)lash one in from distance?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bingo70

Sheriff are not showing as one of the seeded sides any more.

https://x.com/footrankings/status/1929240075277115396?s=46&t=VghJuoU_bl8ISs-zf5CmHg

I think we’d really need to avoid Shakhtar, Braga, Anderlecht (based on their profile as a club rather than being the 4th? Best team in Belgium) and Midtyjlland, everyone else we would be big underdogs for a reason but we would stand a chance if we played well and got a bit luck.

---

The X page Football Rankings that you have linked is great for showing the confirmed teams, but I’m not always sure how they decide which unconfirmed teams to include. For the most recent one you have linked, they have included FC Paksi as making it from round 1 over FC Sheriff, and also being seeded which I don’t understand since the QR2 draw isn’t made until the QR1 fixtures are completed (and QR1 not yet drawn).

Entering QR1 will be

Seeded

Ukraine - Shakhtar Donetsk
Poland - Legia Warsaw
Serbia - Partizan
Moldova - Sheriff Tiraspol
Romania - CFR Cluj
Israel - Hapoel Be'er Sheva
Slovenia - Celje
Slovakia - Spartak Trnava

Unseeded

Cyprus - AEK Larnaca
Sweden - Häcken
Hungary - Paks
Bulgaria - Levski Sofia
Azerbaijan - Sabah
Finland - Ilves
Kazakhstan - Aktobe
Kosovo - Prishtina


Eight of these teams will be joining us in QR2, Four of which will be seeded. The only thing I don’t understand is why FC Paksi, with the lowest coefficient score of the whole lot (even lower than us) could end up seeded. Drawing them is the dream.

I guess the best thing that could happen in the short term is as many as possible from Shakhtar Donetsk, Legia Warsaw and Partizan Belgrade loosing in QR1.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by B.H.F.C

I’d throw Partizan in with them as well. They best Lugano narrowly last year so assume they’re of a similar level. Think they’d be winnable ties.

Think Anderlecht, Warsaw and Midtjylland a step up from them but we would be competitive and have a chance. Would take two very good performances though.

Shakhtar and Braga would be two big shocks if we did anything .

---

Indeed, at present Lugano, Sheriff & Partizan are our best hope.

As Lugano are a seed for the 2nd qualifying round they are currently showing as 'to be confirmed' as a seed in the 3rd qualifying round. Their seeding is likely to be confirmed after the 1st qualifying round ties. Sheriff & Partizan have a higher coefficient than Lugano. It is possible, albeit a bit remote, that if we are drawn against either of these sides and beat them, we will assume their seeding and could play an unseeded side in the 3rd qualifying round.

Wolfsberg, Fredrikstad and Brann currently unseeded in the 3rd round.

Draw Braga at any point you can bin the above.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hibees1973

Draw for qualifying round 1 is 17 June.

Draw for qualifying round 2 (when we come in) 18 June. So could be ?????? or ?????? v Hibs. We won't know until then if first leg is home or away. First leg of our game is 21 July.

---

First leg is 24th. 2nd leg 31st.