Draw attention

All 47 of Cliftonville’s potential Europa League First Qualifying Round opponents have now been determined, meaning the countdown is well and truly on until the draw on Wednesday, June 20.

The final entrants were confirmed yesterday when Rudar of Slovenia were granted the sole remaining Seeded berth after Debrecen – whom the Reds met in the Champions League four years ago – missed out on qualification when a 2-1 defeat to Ujpest saw them leapfrogged by Honved on the last day of the Hungarian football season.

All of which means that Cliftonville will be the seventh-ranked Unseeded side, having missed out on Seeded status by just 0.4 points on UEFA’s Coefficients table.

Though Debrecen failed to make the grade, the Reds could still be paired with two teams we have met before on the European stage, with 2008 UEFA Cup opponents Copenhagen joining 2010 Europa League foes CSKA Sofia in the mix.

Over the last few weeks, our dedicated Europa League guide has kept supporters fully up to speed on all developments pertaining to the First Qualifying Round, with the next phase set to feature soon with the draw now just 17 days away.