Who will be the Deportivo La Coruna to Dundalk’s Shelbourne?
Dundalk’s stunning 3-0 win over BATE Borisov meant they have become the first Irish side since Shelbourne in 2004 to reach the final qualifying round before the Champions League.
Stephen Kenny’s side are guaranteed a substantial cash windfall for reaching the Champions League play-off but that’s nothing compared to the riches and glory that’s on offer if they can overcome their next opponent and make it to the group stage.
But who will that opponent be?
That’s the €30 million question at this stage. There are still games to be played on Wednesday night so all the sides going into Friday’s draw are not yet known but we do have certain information.
As SSE Airtricity League of Ireland champions Dundalk are in the champions side of the play-off draw meaning the can’t face the likes of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Derek Rae, a commentator with BT Sport, has worked out how the champions section of the draw will look *if* tomorrow’s results go according to rankings.
Obviously that’s a huge ‘if’ but it’s fascinating to speculate all the same.
If everything goes according to rankings, the seeded pot would be: Olympiacos, Vikt Plzen (through), Salzburg, Celtic, APOEL (through).
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) August 2, 2016
If everything goes according to the rankings, the unseeded pot would have: Legia Warsaw, Dinamo Zagreb, Ludogorets, FC Copenhagen, Dundalk.
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) August 2, 2016
Dundalk will not be seeded so if it goes according to rankings they would face one of: Olympiacos, Viktoria Plzen, Salzburg, Celtic or APOEL.
All of those would be tough games for Dundalk, obviously, but at the same time there are teams there that they will feel they can beat over two legs.
All will be revealed in Friday’s draw.
Have a listen to the latest GAA Hour with Colm Parkinson. Special guest is Paul Galvin.
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