After a dramatic night of European football, three Welsh clubs will be in the hat for second qualifying round of the Europa League.
The names of Bala Town, Connah’s Quay Nomads and The New Saints will all be present when the draw takes place in Nyon on Monday afternoon.
Colin Caton’s side pulled off an unexpected away victory against Valletta to secure their place in the second round of qualifying for the first time in their history.
It was the Lakesiders’ maiden away victory in Europe, which was secured through captain Chris Venables’ first-half goal.
Alex Ramsay’s penalty save ensured that Bala left Malta with the win and a clean sheet to boot.
TNS also ensured progress to the next round with the help of debutants Louis Robles and Leo Smith, who both scored in their first outings for the Park Hall side.
MSK Zilina took the Saints to extra time having equalised through a penalty, after Robles had opened the scoring.
Scott Ruscoe’s side continued their impressive performance into extra-time and secured the victory with both Smith and Adrian Cieslewicz – from the penalty spot – on the scoresheet.
Connah’s Quay weren’t in action last night, but will enter the Europa League second qualifying round after their elimination from Champions League qualifying last week.
The Nomads will avoid some of Europe’s biggest clubs and instead will be drawn into the Champions Path.
It means when they are put into the draw, they will only be drawn against sides who had also lost in the Champions League first qualifying round.
Who could Connah’s Quay Nomads face?
Astana (Kazakhstan), Budućnost Podgorica (Montenegro), Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia), Djurgårdens IF (Sweden), Dundalk (Ireland), Flora (Estonia), Fola Esch (Luxembourg), Linfield (Northern Ireland), Riga (Latvia) and Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
Bala will be drawn as an unseeded team, while TNS will be seeded. This means that both sides will be drawn against a different group of teams.
TNS, who have many years of European experience under their belt, have built up a strong enough coefficient to be seeded and are in the same pot as teams such as Galatasaray, Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur.
Bala, the second lowest ranked team in the draw, haven’t won as many European games, meaning they are unseeded.
Who could Bala potentially face?
Bala edged past Maltese outfit Valletta last night. (Photo: Frank Vincentz)
AC Milan (Italy), APOEL (Cyprus), Aarhus Gymnastikforening (Denmark), Aberdeen (Scotland), Apollon Limassol (Cyprus), BATE Borisov (Belarus), Basel (Switzerland), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dynamo Moscow (Russia), FCSB (Romania), FK Žalgiris (Lithuania), Fehérvár (Hungary), Galatasaray (Turkey), Grenada (Spain), Hadjuk Split (Croatia), Hapoel Be’er Sheva (Israel), Hartberg (Austria), HŠK Zrinjski Mostar (Bosnia), Jablonec (Czech Republic), KF Shkëndija (Macedonia), Kairat (Kazakhstan), Lech Poznań, Malmö FF (Sweden), Partizan (Serbia), Rangers (Scotland), Reims (France), Rio Ave (Portugal), Rosenborg (Norway), Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic), Standard Liège (Belgium), Tottenham Hotspur (England), VfL Wolfsburg (Germany), Willem II (Netherlands)
If Bala are drawn at home then they will be playing at the COVID-19-compliant Cardiff City Stadium, to meet UEFA regulations.
But with the likes of the San Siro potentially awaiting Bala, it really is the stuff of the dreams for the small village side, which is home to just 2000 people.
A glamour tie against some of Europe’s elite clubs would be fully deserved after Bala ended their Europa League hoodoo at the sixth attempt.
While some of European football’s biggest names are in the draw, there is also a possibility of staying on British soil.
Scottish sides Aberdeen and Motherwell, who both progressed through the first qualifying round, are also prospective opponents for the Lakesiders.
With the prospect of some mouthwatering matches, it really could mean business does pick up for Bala.
“Galatasaray, Spurs, AC Milan come into it – there’s a lot of big hitters. It’s a massive opportunity,” Caton told BBC Sport Wales.
“If we can get a big draw against one of the big teams we could enhance our reputation as a football club that’s been growing for the past 18 years.”
With TNS being drawn as a seeded team, they will avoid the possibility of welcoming iconic manager Jose Mourinho to Park Hall.
Instead, Ruscoe’ side may fancy their chances if they get a favourable draw, which could give them a chance of progressing.
Who could TNS potentially face?
The New Saints beat MSK Zilina 3-1 after extra-time. (Photo: Will Cheshire)
Aris (Greece), B36 Tórshavn (Faroe Islands), Borac Banja Luka (Bosnia), CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), Coleraine (Northern Ireland), DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda (Slovakia), FC Botoșani (Romania), FK Bodø (Norway), Hammarby IF (Sweden), Hibernians (Malta), Honvéd (Hungary), IFK Göteborg (Sweden), KF Laçi (Albania), Kaisar (Kazakhstan),Kukësi (Albania), Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar), Locomotive Tbilisi (Georgia), Lokomotiv Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Maccabi Haifa (Israel)/Zeljeznicar (Bosnia), Neftçi (Azerbaijan), Nõmme Kalju (Estonia)/Mura (Slovenia), OFI Crete (Greece), Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), Osijek (Croatia), Piast Gliwice (Poland), Progrès Niederkorn (Luxembourg), Renova (Macedonia), Riterai (Lithuania), Servette (Switzerland), Sfântul Gheorghe Suruceni (Andorra), Shamrock Rovers(Ireland), TSC Bačka Topola (Serbia), Teuta (Albania), Ventspils (Latvia), Viking (Norway)
There are a wide variety of potential opponents awaiting The New Saints in the next round, with a total of 32 countries – aside from Wales – represented in the draw.
The prestige of the clubs awaiting the Saints is perhaps not as high as it is for Bala and the Nomads, however there are some potentially exciting ties to look forward to.
Of course, with ties consisting of just one leg because of the fixture congestion caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the opportunity to play at home in a one-game shoot-out can provide its obvious benefits.
Although, if Ruscoe’s men are drawn to play away, their journey may not be a long one if they’re matched with the likes of Coleraine, Lincoln Red Imps or Shamrock Rovers.
The Polish side, Piast Gliwice, are former champions of their national league, and would provide stern opposition, while Luxembourg outfit Progrès Niederkorn needed away goals to edge past Cardiff Metropolitan in last season’s preliminary round.
(Featured Image: Soccer Illustrated)
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