Two of the three Baltic champions received favourable potential opponents in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League second qualifying round draw, provided they can first navigate their opening-round ties next month.
Following Tuesday’s first qualifying round draw, Riga FC learned they would face Armenian champions Ararat-Armenia, while Estonian champions Flora Tallinn were paired with Georgian title holders Iberia 1999. Lithuanian champions Kauno Žalgiris, meanwhile, were drawn against Kosovo champions Drita in what will be the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League campaign.
The second qualifying round draw brought encouraging news for both Riga FC and Kauno Žalgiris. Should Riga FC overcome Ararat-Armenia, they will face the winner of the tie between Irish champions Shamrock Rovers and Maltese champions Floriana. The Latvian champions avoided several of the strongest possible opponents in the draw, including Serbian giants Crvena Zvezda and Polish champions Lech Poznań.
Kauno Žalgiris also received what appears to be a manageable draw. Thanks to Drita’s coefficient, the Lithuanian champions were seeded for the second qualifying round draw and, if they eliminate the Kosovo side, will meet either Faroese champions KI Klaksvík or Luxembourg’s FC Atert Bissen.
The draw was less favourable for Flora Tallinn. Even before the draw, the Estonian champions were aware that several difficult opponents were possible from the seeded pot, including Dinamo Zagreb, Omonia, NK Celje, Hapoel Be’er Sheva and the winner of the tie between Levski Sofia and Borac Banja Luka. Instead, Flora were paired with Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava should they manage to overcome Iberia 1999 in the first qualifying round.
As previously announced, the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round ties will be played between 8-9 July and 15-16 July, while second qualifying round matches are scheduled for 22-23 July and 29-30 July.
Later today, UEFA will also conduct the draw for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. All Baltic representatives will learn their potential opponents, including the three domestic champions, who would enter the Conference League second qualifying round should they be eliminated from the Champions League first qualifying round.
