Who can Celtic face in the Champions League? Best and worst possible draws for Brendan Rodgers’ men
Brendan Rodgers has turned Celtic into a competitive European side, but they could face a group of death
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FOLLOWING the ecstasy of qualifying for the Champions League in Kazakhstan against Astana came the agony of missing out on a spot of in Pot 3 by one place.
Olympiakos' win over Rijeka in the play-off round means Celtic have ended up the highest ranked of Pot 4, where the lowest seeds reside.
That means the Bhoys could end up with a seriously daunting Champions League group.
Here is everything you need to know about who Brendan Rodgers' men could face.
WHO CELTIC CAN’T FACE
In a small crumb of comfort, Celtic will avoid a tough double-header against German upstarts RB Leipzig.
Difficult trips to CSKA Moscow, Sporting Lisbon and Feyenoord will also be avoided.
But Celtic will have fancied their chances against Apoel, Maribor or Qarabag, all of whom they will not play.
WHO CELTIC CAN FACE
Celtic can face any team from Pot 1, 2 and 3.
In the first pot are the champions of Europe's eight strongest leagues.
Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Monaco would, on the face of it, appear pretty intimidating.
But if the Celts strike lucky, they could end up with Spartak Moscow, Shakhtar Donetsk or Benfica.
Arguably, Pot 2 poses more danger than Pot 1.
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, PSG, Man United or Man City could prove almost insurmountable obstacles.
And Celtic would also go into matches against Borussia Dortmund or Sevilla as firm underdogs.
Porto will be the team in Pot 2 that everybody will hope to face.
Pot 3 is a very mixed bag, with Liverpool, Tottenham and Napoli looking the most difficult opponents.
Alternatively, Anderlecht, Olympiakos, Basel, Roma or Besiktas could be drawn out to face the Hoops.
What is Celtic's best and worst possible draw?
Best possible draw: Spartak Moscow, Porto, Anderlecht, Celtic
Worst possible draw: Real Madrid, PSG, Tottenham, Celtic
