Celtic’s potential Champions League play-off matchups are taking shape. Viking Stavanger and LASK are already locked in. Three others hang on matches set for late July and mid-August. Those games are now more than paper exercises. AGF Aarhus—Denmark’s top club—stole their tie from Lech Poznan, dragging Celtic’s path into sharper focus.
Lech led 4-1 after the first leg but lost 3-3 in the second, with Luis Palma, a familiar name to Celtic fans, playing 68 minutes. The tie went to extra time, where the hosts scored first. AGF equalised and claimed victory in penalties. That set them up for a third-round clash with Sabah, who’ve already advanced with a 3-0 aggregate win over KuPS.
Kazakh-Bulgarian clash decides next hurdle
Celtic could face the winner of Kairat Almaty and Levski Sofia. Kairat forced a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw with Omonia Nicosia. Both sides had to stretch their legs through extra time.
Slovenian-Armenian tie adds chaos
One final name in the mix could come from a tight tie between Celje and Aarat-Armenia. Celje leveled the tie at 5-5 with a home win, then won it in penalties. Aarat-Armenia lost 2-1 in the second leg but had a 3-2 aggregate win over Shamrock Rovers.