John Caulfield coy on possible Celtic meeting

David Ludzik

After sending the Cork City supporters to Paradise last season with the club’s first league title success since 2005, John Caulfield and his team could find themselves in Paradise next month, after yesterday’s Europa League draw set up a potential clash with Scottish giants Celtic.

After receiving a bye into the third qualifying round of the second tier competition after last week’s Champions League exit in Warsaw, the moneyspinning tie still looks a long way off, as Celtic would need to lose their Champions League second qualifying tie with Rosenborg if the game was to happen.

However, Rosenborg are no mugs having won the Norwegian league for the past three seasons and Brendan Rodgers’ side still face a tough test to progress, despite bookmakers making them a 1-4 shot to advance.

The Norwegian side narrowly went out of the Champions League in the third qualifying round to the Bhoys last season, with Celtic needing a superb James Forrest goal to win 1-0 in Trondheim after the sides drew 0-0 in Glasgow.

Quizzed on a preference for Celtic Park or Trondheim, Caulfield said with a wry smile after last night’s emphatic win over Derry: “We have a number of games before that. It’ll be another fantastic night and we’ll deal with whoever we have to face.

Celtic are the hot favourites to go through but it’s a difficult draw and the teams are obviously rated higher than us at this stage of the competition. However, it looks like Rosenborg will be knocked out by Celtic but we’ll wait and see.

Asked will he go to Celtic Park for the first leg tomorrow, Caulfield said: “I’m not sure if I’ll go yet but we’ll definitely have somebody over there to watch.”

With the first leg set for Turner’s Cross on August 9 and the return leg a week later, the legions of Celtic fans in Ireland will gladly pass up the chance of seeing their heroes in Cork if it means Champions League qualification.