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Absolute motherfookin disaster for Dundalk. BATE probably the strongest team in the draw, one of the least attractive, one of the least accessible. Away first too so it'll probably be dead and buried by the time we get back to Oriel... unless the great Irish sporting public demand that its moved to Lansdowne
Didn't a Stephen Kenny Managed Bohs beat them before ?
not really fly into Vilnius, get transport to Minsk then from there to Barysaw bit in it but very doable.The transport costs in Lithuania & Belarus wont be high either.Quote:
That is the worst we could have gotten. Gonna be some effort to get over there.
Yes, Kenny has a 100% record v BATE. At that stage BATE had won 2 and lost 4 ties in Europe. Now they've played CL group stage four times and EL groups twice in the past 7 seasons.
Graham Byrne, the fitness and condition coach, tweeted that this team "would play in a car park in Afghanistan and just get on with it".
That is the spirit.
Hibernians FC (MLT) v Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
APOEL FC (CYP) v FK Vardar (MKD)
Qarabağ FK (AZE) v FK Rudar Pljevlja (MNE)
FK Sarajevo (BIH) v KKS Lech Poznań (POL)
NK Maribor (SVN) v FC Astana (KAZ)
FC BATE Borisov (BLR) v Dundalk FC (IRL)
HJK Helsinki (FIN) v FK Ventspils (LVA)
FC Midtjylland (DEN) v Lincoln FC (GIB)/FC Santa Coloma (AND)
Molde FK (NOR) v FC Pyunik (ARM)/SS Folgore (SMR)
Malmö FF (SWE) v FK Žalgiris Vilnius (LTU)
Celtic FC (SCO) v Stjarnan (ISL)
FK AS Trenčín (SVK) v FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU)
FK Partizan (SRB) v FC Dila Gori (GEO)
PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL) v FC Milsami Orhei (MDA)
CS Fola Esch (LUX) v GNK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
KF Skënderbeu (ALB) v Crusaders FC (NIR)/FC Levadia Tallinn (EST)
B36 Tórshavn (FRO)/ The New Saints FC (WAL) v Videoton FC (HUN)
• Ties played on 14/15 and 21/22 July.
Apparently, fans on Borisov forum are sh1tting themselves about having to travel to Dundalk.
Away first too, just to make it worse.
Or better if they want to get through. Dundalk have a genuine chance IMOQuote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Do you reckon?
Dundalk - like last year - are a form team, which is rare enough for LoI teams in Europe. So if anyone can get by them, it's Dundalk. I'd just rather they'd have gotten an easier tie in the first round and then chanced a decent draw in the next round - get a Europa League group spot (or is there an extra round now or something)?
Rovers away to the Luxembourg side
Cork home to the Iceland side.
Good start so far there.
I don't understand how this draw is working?
But Slovenia and Slovakia are out for us. Just Norway, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan left as options.
Pat's away to Skonto.
We're not going to Norway
And we're not going to Azerbaijan!
Looks like it's Luxembourg
Four great draws if that's the case
West Ham off to Andorra, which will be interesting! Though they've already said they won't be fielding a full team in the early rounds.
We're home against F91 Dudelange first leg.
So to sum up. Great draws for all the Europa teams and a terrible draw for us!
Did they draw all the groups at once ?
I think they decided that the second placed seeds were playing the third placed unseeded teams in each group - or something like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid
Disaster of a draw for us travel wise, regionalisation me hole. BATE's record over the last few seasons goes from great results to getting absolutely tonked so they seem to be hit and miss, hopefully this year it's miss.
Also it's charter or bust for us, not a hope of fans paying these prices, getting time off work, hotel, accomodation, visa etc all sorted in the next week or two.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CIGWVYwWUAAg-ny.png:large
Happy with the Europa draws, was hoping for a Luxembourg tie and end up getting two. great, its less than 3.5 hours by train..........:D
Pity about Dundalk, but as Dodge said, second leg at home can be an advantage if the tie is still alive