Game scheduled for 17th sept. KO time tbc as far as I can see.

midway through their season and sit tenth in the table. it’s not been going well for them but they have won their last two games following two draws so they may be turning things around. Especially given the last victory was against second placed Molde, the one prior to the team who was just above them.

Play as professionally as we can and we should be ok, but I don’t share the confidence of others. Plastic pitch will be to their advantage . 

Guess we’ll find out the game before as to how DM will be considering to tackle this tie.

Groups for the 3rd qualifying round draw has just been made
If the Dons managed to get past Viking these are the potential opponents

1 Budapest Honvéd (HUN) or Malmö (SWE)
2 Sporting CP (POR)
3 PSV Eindhoven (NED)

Only going on reputation but I think option 1 would be the best chance of making the playoff

Edited August 31, 20205 yr by tom_widdows

Bit frustrating when you compare our potentials to the Huns and well, but it is what it is. Agreed, option 1 is the only real route . 

Anything other then 1 would be incredibly difficult. Even Malmo are no mugs, although I know little about Honved. That said in a one off game anything is possible.

Malmo are currently top of Swedish league after 18 games. Even at home they will be difficult test. Honved are bottom of Hungarian league but only 2 games in. PSV (12/09) and Sporting (20/09) haven’t started yet but full expect both to be strong for us. Really is a shite draw.

We'll take all those teams, they're pish. Sporting lesbian at pittodrie with a big north sea wind in the air. Belt the whoors back to Portugaland.

I think we should really be taking it one tie at a time. A lot of our support are taking it for granted that we will eliminate Viking with relative ease. With the tie being in Noggieland, I'd put our chances at no better than 45/55. 

However...if we can make Q3, I'd be quietly confident of getting a result against any of the potential opponents IF we can get a home tie. An away tie I'd expect it to be curtains though, except maybe if it were Honved but even then I'd have severe doubts.

no excuses Coleraine put out Maribor.. maybe time for us to 'punch above our weight'

1 hour ago, Ten Caat said:

I think we should really be taking it one tie at a time. A lot of our support are taking it for granted that we will eliminate Viking with relative ease. With the tie being in Noggieland, I'd put our chances at no better than 45/55. 

However...if we can make Q3, I'd be quietly confident of getting a result against any of the potential opponents IF we can get a home tie. An away tie I'd expect it to be curtains though, except maybe if it were Honved but even then I'd have severe doubts.

Absolutely, especially given its knockout anyway. We can’t afford to go easy or be cautious. I’m certainly not writing off Viking. 

Its Sporting Lisbon away

Edited September 1, 20205 yr by tom_widdows

I have to keep reminding myself this year's qualifying phase isn't like any normal one and not just because games are single legged but also the draw itself would have been so much different if not regionalised.  That is why I'm taking it all with a pinch of salt win, lose. draw.  I'll be delighted if we could beat Viking Stavanger, Sporting Lisbon then whoever in Play-Off to reach Group Stages but I'm treating whole journey as a glorified preseason given us supporters aren't able to attend also.     

Lisbon trip potentially..............

Would have been going on that trip for sure with or without a ticket. 

Not to be I'm afraid 

Obviously got to get past Viking, but sporting away and then you see the draw for rangers, Celtic etc. I know it’s certainly not rigged but it always seems we get the toughest qualifying draw, burnley, kiarat, Rijeka....and the others certainly my get an easier ride!

There is no doubt that Viking needs to be completed and I am glad that we will play with Sporting. You should strive to always play with a good opponent, and not with mid-range teams.

Most of our best matches in Europe have been with great and stronger teams. The last such games were with Burnley and it was really cool and not ashamed of the team!

COYR!!!

1 minute ago, Anthony said:

There is no doubt that Viking needs to be completed and I am glad that we will play with Sporting. You should strive to always play with a good opponent, and not with mid-range teams.

Most of our best matches in Europe have been with great and stronger teams. The last such games were with Burnley and it was really cool and not ashamed of the team!

COYR!!!

Don’t disagree, it’s just the financial gains in getting to the group stages are huge for us, even more so this year. Don’t give a shit if we get the best teams in the world in the group stages, a bit of luck in the draw allowing us to get there would be appreciated!

Just now, LA-Don said:

Don’t disagree, it’s just the financial gains in getting to the group stages are huge for us, even more so this year. Don’t give a shit if we get the best teams in the world in the group stages, a bit of luck in the draw allowing us to get there would be appreciated!

A weak opponent is not a guarantee that we will advance further. You remember what happened in the past seasons.

2 hours ago, Anthony said:

A weak opponent is not a guarantee that we will advance further. You remember what happened in the past seasons.

I hear you, but geez, we’d all like an easier draw initially, no?

4 hours ago, LA-Don said:

Obviously got to get past Viking, but sporting away and then you see the draw for rangers, Celtic etc. I know it’s certainly not rigged but it always seems we get the toughest qualifying draw, burnley, kiarat, Rijeka....and the others certainly my get an easier ride!

But the draw is rigged and has been ever since UEFA came up with their champions league idea allegedly partly due to a so called 'freak' draw in the 86-87 European cup when Juventus & Real Madrid were drawn together in the 2nd round much to the annoyance of the sponsors.

Its rigged to make sure the 'big teams' from the 'big leagues' have the biggest chance of getting to the group stages and/or knockout round to make the most money. It was impossible for Sporting Lisbon to play AC Milan or Spurs in the next round same as it was impossible for the dons to play a team from san marino
Lot of people seem happy with this arrangement but personally Ive stopped watching the Champs/ Europa league once the Dons are out as its getting boring watching the same teams every year.
 

30 minutes ago, tom_widdows said:

But the draw is rigged and has been ever since UEFA came up with their champions league idea allegedly partly due to a so called 'freak' draw in the 86-87 European cup when Juventus & Real Madrid were drawn together in the 2nd round much to the annoyance of the sponsors.

Its rigged to make sure the 'big teams' from the 'big leagues' have the biggest chance of getting to the group stages and/or knockout round to make the most money. It was impossible for Sporting Lisbon to play AC Milan or Spurs in the next round same as it was impossible for the dons to play a team from san marino
Lot of people seem happy with this arrangement but personally Ive stopped watching the Champs/ Europa league once the Dons are out as its getting boring watching the same teams every year.
 

There will be very few games I bother watching m, once the dons are out. Maybe if mates have their teams in it I’ll pay attention or a fixture that looks like it could be tasty, I’ll pay attention but other than that. Once we’re out, it’s off.

Can somebody explain the Europa Conference League which starts next season and is actually under Europa League in terms of importance!!!  I think it is kind of like an excuse to bring Cup Winners Cup back but in a league format.  Hopefully we might be able to attend these games this time 2021 if we've qualified.     

I suppose I’d clarify, meaning rigged in the sense of other scottish teams getting an easier draw. 
Bigger picture, I only watch dons games in Europe. Zero interest in the format and probably lost interest close to the time it was changed from three european tournaments to two, you know, when football mattered more and it wasn’t purely money.

6 hours ago, SeeBass said:

Can somebody explain the Europa Conference League which starts next season and is actually under Europa League in terms of importance!!!  I think it is kind of like an excuse to bring Cup Winners Cup back but in a league format.  Hopefully we might be able to attend these games this time 2021 if we've qualified.     

Number of teams in the Europa league is being reduced from next season

Cup winners, league Runners up, and 3rd place from countries ranked 29-55 will qualify for the conference league (At the moment Scotland are ranked 13th)

Teams who lose in the Champions league preliminary, and first qualifying rounds will enter at the 2nd qualifying round
Teams who lose in the europa league 3rd qualifying round will enter at the conference league play off round
Teams who lose in the Europa league play-off round will go into the conference league group stages

Teams finishing 3rd in the europa league group stages will enter at the 'knock out' stage

Winner gets a place in the following season's Europa League (would like to think at the group stages)



 

Seems the conference league is going to have the most number of teams of all 3 competitions. Countries ranked 1-28 will also have teams in it.

It appears next season Scotland is to get:

2 Champions League places. (starting at 2nd qualifying round (2nd place), and 3rd qualifying round (champions)

1 Europa League Place (Winners of Scottish Cup, or 3rd place if its won by the team finishing 1st or 2nd). They will enter at what is still being called the '3rd qualifying round' as it includes teams knocked out of the champs league qualifiers and if they lose their tie will go into the Conference league Play off round.

2 Europa Conference League Place (3rd & 4th will both start in in the second qualifying round)
 

Sounds absolutely shit. But we'll likely benefit. The amount of yank money (and German in the case of Dunfermline!) moving into the Scottish game suggested something bigger was/is afoot in the European game. This will be a pre-cursor to something bigger and with more money for teams in that middle teir like the dons, hibs, the arabs etc. If we're not already there, we'll be looking at a three teir system (the scum, us/hibs/hearts/utd, the rest) in the SPFL as opposed to a two teir (the scum, the rest). I think a lot of dons fans will lap that up, it's not for me like. If we hadn't already, we'll become everything we hate about the scum but on a cheapened level.   

I think Hernandez struggling to settle proved the Norwegian league is a bit of a lower standard than Scottish football.

So I think we should beat Viking by a couple of goals.

If we can’t beat teams like VS then we have real problems.  3-1 is my prediction. 
 

they should just do away with international fitba, it’s shit