Dream draw : Any of the Baltic country’s.
Middle of the road: Aberdeen or Kilmarnock.
Nightmare: Norway, Sweden, Iceland or Rangers.
Meh: Crusaders
I think there's 23 unseeded team from what would be considered our region and only 15 seeded teams so a few of the unseeded ones will get shafted.
If they go by co-efficient points the seeded pots from our region will be:
Pot 1 Malmo Sweden Zalgiris Lithuania Aberdeen Scotland Brondby Denmark Crusaders Northern Ireland Pot 2 Rangers Scotland Ventsplis Latvia Stjarnan Iceland Norrköping Sweden Brann Norway Pot 3 Haugesund Norway Cork Ireland Riteriai Lithuania Levadia Estonia Kilmarock Scotland
That would rule us out of pot 3 with Cork in it so we'd be extremely unlikely to get put into a pot with our region but then again they probably don't just base the pots on co-efficient points.
Here on a technicality.
Had a look on Berts European football site & forum and even the boffins there are none the wiser.
Cork getting pencilled in as one of the weaker seeds on berts forum.
Fair. We would probably have been considered one of the weaker seeds even if we weren't as bad as we appear to be this year I'd imagine, but we are exactly the kind of team I would have thought would be beatable if we could have gotten them when we were unseeded.
First time in our history we are seeded and we are ****. Frustrating.
Champions League groups.....
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsle...d=2611300.html
Dundalk v Piast (avoid, avoid, avoid), Linfield, HB, Valur, Riga or the preliminary round winners
As long as we avoid Piast I’m happy
I’ve heard Linfield tipped as the ideal draw, granted we’d have the best chance of beating them but I fear the game would be the kind of circus we’d like to avoid.
The faroes is the plumb draw in football terms , probably a nightmare for fans to get to.
I'm damn nervous about tomorrows draw! Not knowing what Peak6's minimum requirement for a return on their involvement means there is additional worries on getting a disasterous draw. Positives ahead of the draw - Generally we have been improving in Europe, more saavy(or clued in on the dark arts), building our co-efficient to be seeded early on. We have a very settled squad and will be as well prepared as possible with plenty of European experience. Parachuting in to EL I suppose does ease things a little when there is a 2nd chance. Possible negative - as a management team will we miss the ability that Kenny had to instill that belief that we can go and compete. We havent been the luckiest side either for one reason or another eg While the squad has been strengthened we have been seriously hit my injuries. Larnaca was a chastening experience but Gannon being injured meant Hoare was badly exposed as a makeshift fullback and McEleney wasnt near match fitness and the heat did have an impact. We were out of the game before any changes could be made and probably Larnaca took the foot off the pedal. Away to Rosenborg Gannon was concussed and we were punished ruthlessly but could have progressed taking the tie to ET. We have had a mixed bag with the draw over the last decade Luxembourg sides twice, Icelandic and Estonian once but after that Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Belarus twice, Cyprus was really an unknown but wouldnt have jumped out as a nightmare, and Rosenborg while not the powerhouse they were it was the toughest draw iirc.
Sooo whats on order then, decent draw (not BATE again!!), luck with players fitness with just about the month to get players up to match fitness - this mini break will have players fresh hopefully and there are 3(?) games before Europe. Cut out the tendency to concede just after scoring or just before half time. No conceding in the first few minutes and chasing a tie from the off especially at home. For the team to click in to the sort of form we know they are capable of but has been patchy in the league. For Hoban to hit a really hot streak of scoring from play, ye get the feeling that at any point he is going to start putting chances away. We need to really up the conversion of chances to goals rate. If dropping in to the EL early then a Linfield again and a third round buy (if its still possible ). So not asking for too much......
*ok bar Plast that group isnt so bad eeek!
Last edited by Nesta99; 17/06/2019 at 3:59 PM.
Winners of the preliminary round - Happy days
Piast Gliwice (POL) - Tough - but have never won a Euro game and will be out of season.
Valur Reykjavík (ISL) - potential banana skin. Dundalk only beat FH on away goals and they are not as strong now, maybe Valur not as good as FH either, gave Rosenborg a nice fright last year.
Linfield (NIR) - should be handy enough out of season.
HB Tórshavn (FRO) - ideal draw.
Riga (LVA) - there are easier teams but should have too much for them.
Group 1 (seeded sides in bold)
Vaduz (LIE)
Kilmarnock (SCO)
Brann (NOR)
Vitebsk (BLR)
Malmö (SWE)
Shamrock Rovers (IRL)
Ballymena (NIR)/NSÍ (FRO)
Connah's Quay Nomads (WAL)
KuPS Kuopio (FIN)
Breidablik (ISL)
Group 4 (seeded sides in bold)
Rangers (SCO)
Brøndby (DEN)
Cork (IRL)
Molde (NOR)
Crusaders (NIR)
Progrès Niederkorn (LUX)/Cardiff Metropolitan University (WAL)
B36 (FRO)
Inter Turku (FIN)
KR (ISL)
Prishtina (KOS)/St Joseph's (GIB)
Group 8 (seeded sides in bold)
Haugesund (NOR)
Aberdeen (SCO)
Stjarnan (ISL)
Norrköping (SWE)
Dinamo Minsk (BLR)
Riteriai (LTU)
Liepāja (LVA)
Levadia Tallinn (EST)
Barry Town (WAL)/Cliftonville (NIR)
Saint Patrick's (IRL)
RoPS Rovaniemi (FIN)
KÍ (FRO)/Tre Fiori (SMR)
Vaduz and Riteriai/Stjarnan the targets there. Cork need to avoid Progres (who beat Rangers two years back). Some tough draws too though, as to be expected when unseeded
Would be interesting to see LoI v SPL
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