Scottish football clubs are gearing up for an intense battle in the upcoming European play-off rounds, with several teams learning their potential opponents. Dundee United are in for a real fight. Next up for them are either AIK of Sweden or Hungary’s ETO FC Gyor, but only if they can first slay Rapid Vienna. On the other side of the bracket, Linfield will face HNK Rijeka from Croatia or Shelbourne from the Republic of Ireland.
Aberdeen qualified for Europe by winning the Scottish Cup. Now, they’re looking forward to their first leg at Pittodrie on August 21. As fans and players on both sides eagerly await the return match one week later, excitement will continue to build.
This has been an incredibly surprising Hibernian European journey. They dropped down into the Conference League fray after losing to Midtjylland in their Europa League qualifier. They now look to face AEK Larnaca of Cyprus or Legia Warszawa of Poland, contingent on their success against Partizan Belgrade.
Celtic are just weeks away from a make-or-break play-off round. In the Champions League proper, they’ll likely be up against Kairat Almaty or Slovan Bratislava. Their precise opponent, however, will not be known until the third and final round of qualifying wraps up on Aug. 14. Celtic will open the first leg in Glasgow on August 19 or 20. The return match is set for August 26 or 27.
Rangers must beat Viktoria Plzen in the playoff round before dreaming of the group stage. Should they be successful, they will meet the winners of the Red Bull Salzburg/Club Brugge engagement in the group stage. The Rangers’ largest goal is to continue making postseason progress, starting with knocking out Vikingur FC of the Faroe Islands. Second, they need to defeat the Portuguese side Santa Clara in the third qualifying round.
The home and away legs give one of these clubs the chance to make history, by going farther in UEFA’s tournament than any of them have made before. Every team faces their own unique challenges and obstacles. Each of them continues to nurture belief in victory as they prepare for this vital stretch of primary season.
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