Celtic and Rangers Discover Potential European Opponents as Champions League Qualification Path Clarifies

Celtic is set to face either Kairat Almaty or Slovan Bratislava in the upcoming Champions League play-off round. To advance to the group stage, Brendan Rodgers’ team must first overcome one of these opponents at the end of August. The first leg will be played at Celtic Park on August 19 or 20, with the return match scheduled for the following week.

While Celtic has not previously faced Kairat, they did beat Astana, a fellow Kazakh team, 8-4 on aggregate in the 2017-18 play-off and defeated them 3-2 the year before, both under Rodgers. Historically, Neil Lennon’s side also defeated Shakhter Karagandy 3-2 on aggregate in the 2013-14 play-offs.

Celtic are confident of progressing after a strong 5-1 victory against Slovan Bratislava last season in Glasgow. Key players like Liam Scales, Kyogo Furuhashi, Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda, and Adam Idah contributed to the win.

Meanwhile, Rangers are preparing to face either Club Brugge or Red Bull Salzburg if they can get past Viktoria Plzen. The Scottish side defeated Panathinaikos in the previous round, with the first leg against Viktoria Plzen scheduled for Ibrox tomorrow and the second leg the following week.

Both Brugge and Salzburg are formidable opponents: Brugge finished second in their domestic league, won the Belgian Cup, and reached the last 16 in the Champions League, while Salzburg finished second in their league last season and placed third from bottom in last year’s group stage. Should Rangers advance, they will also play the first leg at home.

Images:

Brendan Rodgers recognizes his team has a realistic shot at qualifying for the group stage.

Daizen Maeda celebrates his goal in last year’s 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava.

Kairat Almaty secured their first-round victory against Olimpia Ljubljana.