Celtic have been drawn against Sparta Prague, AC Milan and Lille in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League.
Neil Lennon’s Bhoys overcame a tough match away to Sarajevo on Thursday night to take their place in Pot 1 of today’s draw in Nyon, Switzerland.
That boost to seeding came after a run of very fortunate Playoff results in our favour, allowing us to move up from Pot 2, avoiding some of the biggest and best sides in Europe.
However, we’ve still ended up with a difficult draw, and two of our three opponents come from Europe’s big leagues.
Sparta Prague came from pot two with Milan from pot three, and Lille rounded off the draw from pot four.
When will the games be played?
The group stage kicks off on Thursday 22nd October, with the other five matchdays on 29th October, 5th November, 26th November, 3rd December and 10th December.
Celtic’s home and away fixtures are yet to be determined and will be confirmed by the clubs later.
Playing these matches in such a short timeframe will be a difficult task for Celtic, who need to maintain excellent winning form in the Scottish Premiership too.
The full depth of Lennon’s squad could be tested.
Where can I watch Celtic in Europe?
If you’re in the UK & Ireland, broadcasters BT Sport will be providing live coverage of the group stage action.
It’s unknown if the matches will be aired on the club’s ‘Pass To Paradise’ streaming service for season ticket holders or not, but that would seem unlikely right now considering Celtic do not hold the broadcast rights.
An exciting few months of Europa League action awaits!
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