STANDING in the way of Celtic reaching the Europa League group stage is Lithuanian side Suduva.
Brendan Rodgers’ side will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing Champions League exit at the hands of AEK Athens, while the Lithuanians saw off FK Spartaks of Latvia in the previous Europa League qualification round.
The Hoops previously played Suduva in a UEFA Cup tie in 2002, which ended in a 10-1 aggregate win.
It was their opening match on the way to their famous UEFA Cup final appearance in Seville.
Suduva play in the industrial city of Marijampolė in the south of Lithuania and are one of the country’s oldest clubs.
They won the A Lyga title last year for the first time, entering the Champions League qualifiers in the first round. They saw off APOEL FC before losing out to Red Star Belgrade.
Managed by Vladimir Cheburin, they’re likely to field Chilean central midfielder Gerson Acevedo, who has one international cap, but another of their star players Alassane N’Diaye is out with a knee injury.
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