Celtic could probably do with avoiding Slavia Prague in Monday’s Champions League playoff round draw.
Neil Lennon’s side will find out their potential fourth and final qualification opponents on Monday morning. The draw in Nyon could pit the Hoops against the likes of Swiss champions Young Boys or old foes Maribor.
But it’s the tricky Czechs who look like the team to avoid.
Celtic want to avoid Slavia
You could hear the sighs of relief when Celtic avoided big hitters PAOK and Red Star Belgrade in the third round draw. A quirk of the UEFA qualifying system also meant that the Hoops would be unable to face either the Greek or Serbian side in the final playoff round.
There was a feeling that Lennon’s men were nearly home and hosed. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Not only do they have to see off a tricky looking Cluj over the next fortnight, they also have one more qualifier. And that could be against an even tougher side like Slavia Prague.
The Red and Whites have a terrific recent European record encapsulated by a wonderful run in the Europa League last season. The double winners took ten points from a very challenging group featuring Zenit, Copenhagen and Bordeaux. After making it to the knockout stage they also saw off Genk and perennial competition winners Sevilla.
In fact, they were only seen off by eventual champions Chelsea – losing 5-3 on aggregate in a pulsating tie.
They come into this year’s Champions League at the playoff round but will have six league games under their belt by that stage.
If Celtic were to draw the Czechs then it would be a real kick in the teeth. It would also be a very difficult task to beat them over two legs. One to avoid for sure.
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