Celtic's list of rivals includes possible tough trips to Moldova, where they could face Transnistria's Sheriff Tiraspol, or Norway, where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Molde lie in wait and will be looking to cause the Scottish champions another European shock. These are the more likely clubs to appear in the Champions League third qualifying round games, which will be played on 31 July/1 August and 7/8 August. Ulisses FC badge.

Ulisses FC

Country: Armenia

Stadium: Hrazdan Stadium, Yerevan, 53500 spectators.

Manager: Sevada Arzumanyan

Summary: They have ended Pyunik's dominance in Armenia after 10 years. Ulisses were formerly known as Dinamo-Zenit FC (until 2006). It was their first league title ever, and they will want to give a game to whicever team plays them in this Uefa Champions League qualifiers. Their squad is mainly comprised of Armenian players - the only exceptions being the Georgian pair Tengiz Ugrekhelidze and Shota Jikia, the Brazilian Aragoney and the Congolese Pato Ngavouka. They lost against Sheriff Tiraspol at home in the opening leg and they will face an uphill task in Moldavia, where Ulisses should break one of their European hoodoos: they have never scored a goal in Europe in the 5 matches they have played (they have conceded seven goals in the process too).

Conclusion: Ulisses might be one of the teams that Celtic fans would prefer to be drawn against. Despite their original name, defeating them wouldn't apparently represent an Odyssey for Neil Lennon's men, but then, Sion or Utrecht didn't look like world beaters once they were drawn against Celtic, and we all know how those stories ended.


Sheriff Tiraspol

Country: Moldova

Stadium: Sheriff, 14 000 spectators

Manager: Milan Milanović

Summary: Founded in 1997, they are Moldova's strongest team. They have been pioneers there in signing players from Africa and Brazil, their multi-ethnic squad is a reflection of that. Sheriff have a former Benfica player in Joao Pereira and a former Dynamo Moskva midfielder, Nail Zamalyev in their ranks. They are used to these type of games as they have played there every season (bar the last one) since 2001. They also shocked teams that were allegedly better than them in 2009 (Slavia Prague were knocked out on away goals) and in 2010 (They defeated Dinamo Zagreb on penalties). Tough opposition, especially when they are playing at home.

Conclusion: Put in a proper context, they are one of the strongest contenders that could play against Celtic. The Bhoys dismal record away from home might be an extra-motivation for the Transnistria's team (their fans reclaim independence for their region every time they play against Moldovan teams). They won the opening leg in Armenia against Ulisses and they'll surely end up beating them at home.

Molde FK

Country: Norway

Stadium: Aker Stadion, 11 800 spectators

Manager: Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer

Summary: Their most well known man will be on the dugout, but they aren't minnows. The former Man United forwards arrival led them to their first ever league title. Norway is a country where Rosenborg's domination was overwhelming for years, so that's a really remarkable feat. They use the model that most Norwegian teams have followed; lots of their own home-grown players blended with some Africans, which gives a special touch to the team. Magnus Wolff Eikrem, a former Red Devil reserve, is now plying his trade at Molde, and the team also includes Norwegian midfielder Magne Hoseth – whose has earned 22 caps for his national side, as well as the Ivorian striker, Davy Claude Angan, who scored 17 goals in just 20 matches last season. They easily thrashed Ventspils 3-0 in the home game, so their presence in the next round is almost assured.

Conclusion: The toughest team. They have a good, young squad and are also led by a promising young manager. Molde are hungry for a good run in Europe, just like Celtic, the fact that they are well into their regular season will guarantee give them a physical advantage over their Scottish opponents. They are the league leaders in Norway after 12 games, so they are also on a good run right now. The team to avoid tomorrow.

HJK Helsinki

Country: Finland

Stadium: Sonera Stadium, 10 770 spectators

Manager: Antti Muurinen

Summary: Finland's finest team. They have been crowned as the country's champions on 24 occasions, the last one being in 2012. Their team is predominately made up of Finnish players – with just two exceptions: the Egyptian under-20 international, Sherif Ashram, and the Gambian winger, Demba Savage. Both players joined the team in 2012 and helped them to retain the crown once again. Mika Vayrinen, a former PSV Eindhoven player who was once linked with Rangers, is their star performer. HJK Helsinki thrashed Icelandic contenders KR Reykjavik in the first leg (7-0), so they will be in the next round unless something extraordinary happens.

Conclusion: The Helsinki game would be a tough one. They are fierce at home, but tend to take the foot off the gas away from home, an example of that can be found in last year's UEFA Europa League, where they beat German giants Schalke 04 at home (2-0), only to be smashed at Gelsenkirchen (6-1) later. Their physical state will also be better than Celtic's too.

Neftchi Baku PFC

Country: Azerbaijan

Stadium: Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, 29 858 spectators

Manager: Boyukagha Hajiyev

Summary: 7 league titles makes them Azerbaijan's strongest ever team. It might not sound really impressive due to the level of Azerbaijan's football (worse than Scotland, and that says something). Their squad includes a few imports, three Brazilians give Neftchi an exotic touch in a squad made up basically of local players. Flavinho is their top striker, aided by his countrymen Rodriguinho in midfield. Nicolás Canales, a Chilean striker they signed this season, scored in the Champions League's first leg tie against Zestafoni. Neftchi gained a good advantage in that game after winning 3-0.

Conclusion: A long trip to Azerbaijan doesn't look like an enjoyable one for Celtic fans to make, but this team might be the weakest (alongside Ulisses) of the possible opponents. They'll give it a good shot in the home leg, but only a really dire Celtic performance in Baku would let them knock out Celtic. The favourite pick.

AEL Limassol

Country: Cyprus

Stadium: Tsirion Stadium, 13 331

Manager: Pambos Christodoulou

Summary: AEL are the latest representatives of the uprising Cypriot football. After APOEL and Anorthosis' appearences in the past, the team from Limassol want to reach the group stages for the third time in the country's history. The squad has only a few local players and the spine of the team is made by Portuguese-speaking players. Their most known man is Michalis Konstantinou, Cyprus best player ever, who once played his trade for Panathinaikos(and their fiercest rivals, Olympiacos, too). AEL beat Linfield 3-0 at home so they'll be in the next round unless the Northern Irishmen make a spectacular comeback.

Conclusion: The heat in Cyprus could be a nightmare for Lennon's men. This island has seen how giants were defeated by Anorthosis and Apoel, and they hope to see that again this summer. They don't have any famous players, but the work rate and the team spirit brought Apoel to the competition's quarter finals last year. A hot and uninspired afternoon could end up becoming another nightmare for Celtic.

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About the author
Jaume Portell Caño
Periodista. África y política. Ser comunista y comer gambas está mal. Creo que en ABC hacen buen periodismo.