SCOTTISH champions Celtic will play Northern Ireland’s Linfield or La Fiorita of San Marino in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
Brendan Rodgers’ side, who reached the group stages last season, will begin their competitive season when the tie takes place over two legs on July 11 or 12 and 18 or 19.
Their opponents will become clear in the first week of July after Linfield and La Florita have played each other in the first qualifying round.
With Celtic drawn away for the first leg, the possibility of them playing in Belfast on July 12, a key date in the marching calendar, proved potentially problematic for security services.
Representatives from both clubs spoke to UEFA officials following the draw in Nyon, Switzerland, and immediately ruled out the possibility of playing the game on July 12.
That date is public holiday in Northern Ireland — it celebrates the victory by the Protestant King William of Orange over the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690— and is often marred by sectarian violence.
It now looks certain the game will go ahead the day before, possibly with an early kick-off time, to avoid any crowd trouble.
Elsewhere in the draw, Dundalk were handed a tie against Rosenborg of Norway.
Like Linfield, Welsh side The New Saints must also enter at the first qualifying round stage. They will play Europa of Gibraltar and will then face HNK Rijeka of Croatia if they get through.
New Celtic winger Jonny Hayes is looking forward to his club’s ties but does not believe the extra spice involved in a potential showdown with Linfield will worry the Hoops too much.
The Republic of Ireland international said: “It’s going to be a tough game in Europe. I’ve got a little bit of experience playing there with Aberdeen where we maybe took our foot off the gas and almost got punished.
“Every game is tough so regardless of who we play or where we play, they will look forward to playing Celtic and probably raise their game a little bit.
“I’m just happy I’ve got a chance to finally pull this top on as it could be my first competitive game. Regardless of the opposition I can’t wait to get started. If the first competitive game is in Ireland, I’ll look forward to it.
“I’ve never really thought about stuff off the park. Fans treat games differently from players. We have to approach every game the same.
“I know from playing in Europe with Aberdeen over the last few years that there isn’t one easy game.
“I remember playing a team who were a so-called minnow from Luxembourg [CS Fola Esch last year] and we took a 3-1 lead over there and lost the game. They hit the post in the final minute and that would have put them through on the away goals if it had gone in.
The 29-year-old Dubliner, whose last competitive match came against Celtic in the William Hill Scottish Cup final last month, is looking forward to the double header and the prospect of making his debut for Brendan Rodgers’s side.
“If Linfield go through it will be a tough game there, but it will be a nice atmosphere to play in.
“You always want to play in decent football grounds and atmospheres and I have spoken to Niall McGinn [the Northern Ireland internationalist who was his team mate at Aberdeen] and he talks about the atmosphere.
“I played there in the Foyle Cup when I was about 15-years-old with a young Irish team and that’s the only time I’ve played there.”
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