The whole Haug

Cliftonville will face Haugesund in the Europa League First Qualifying Round.

The Reds booked their place in the next phase of the competition courtesy of this evening’s 4-0 victory over Barry Town United.

The first leg of the tie will be played at Solitude next Thursday, July 11 (7.45pm) ahead of the return meeting at the 8,754-capacity Haugesund Stadion on July 18 (6pm; 7pm local time).

Cliftonville’s first ever Norwegian opponents, The Arabs – as Haugesund are otherwise known – finished fourth in last year’s Eliteserien and currently sit ninth in the table, with 16 points from their 13 League fixtures to date this season.

Formed in 1993 following a merger between Djerve 1919 and SK Haugar, the Club have qualified for Europe on two previous occasions, with their biggest ever win on the UEFA stage coming in a 7-0 Europa League success against Coleraine in 2017.

While those encounters with the Bannsiders represent Haugesund’s only previous engagement with Danske Bank Premiership opposition, defender Benjamin Hansen will be somewhat more familiar with Cliftonville having been part of the Nordsjælland side which won 1-0 at Solitude last summer.

The Main Stand Lower is the only section of the stadium where tickets will be required for next week’s first leg, for which admission will once again be set at £12 for Adults and £8 for Concessions.