FC Santa Coloma: Meet Penybont’s Europa Conference opponents that boast Real Madrid coaches
FC Santa Coloma's home ground Estadi Nacional d‘Andorra. (Image: Walmaul)
Penybont’s first venture onto the European stage will see them come up against Andorran side FC Santa Coloma in the Europa Conference League.
The first leg will take place at Brewery Field before Bont head out to the principality a week later.
Ahead of the clash, we take a closer look at what the Andorran side has to offer.
History
FC Santa Coloma were formed in 1985 and were one of the founding members of the Andorran Primera Divisío in 1995.
They are one of three clubs based in the city of Andorra la Vella, along with UE Santa Coloma and Penya Encarnada. However, when it comes to trophies, they are in a league of their own.
The Doves are the most successful team in Andorra, having won the league on 13 occasions, and lifting the Copa Constitució (Andorran Cup) nine times.
While they have always been a force on the pitch, off the pitch, the team are moving forward.
Recently, American-Ukrainian entrepreneur Daniel Milstein completed a takeover of the club, and they have announced a partnership with LaLiga side Villareal.
One of their most notable players also played for the Yellow Submarines, Joan Capdevilla. The World Cup winner ended his career with Santa Coloma and is one of the most high-profile players ever to have played in the league.
Andorra’s leading appearance maker Ildefons Lima is also a notable former player, and Welsh fans may remember him for giving Andorra the lead against Wales in 2014 before Gareth Bale’s brace saved the day.
Stadium
The game will take place at the Centre d’Entrenament de la FAF 1.
The ground holds around 2000 fans and is the home to all of the clubs situated in Andorra la Vella.
Manager
The current manager of FC Santa Coloma is Dmitri Cheryshev.
The Russian is a former player and an accomplished striker, who scored over 100 goals in his career.
He has managed in Spain for a long time and has managed parts of the youth system at Real Madrid. He has also been an assistant manager at Sevilla.
Cheryshev has been the manager of the Andorran powerhouses since last season, and in his first year, guided the club to a third-placed finish.
Dmitri is also the father of Denis Cheryshev. Denis is a winger who currently plays for Venezia in Italy and had a very successful World Cup in 2018.
Current Players
As you would expect, Santa Coloma have a number of Andorran internationals at their disposal.
The most of experienced of them is goalkeeper Josép Gomes, who has over 75 caps for the national team. Right back Andreu Ramos is a player who came through the famous La Masia academy at Barcelona.
Up front, they have recently signed Venezuelan striker Christian Novoa. Novoa is a proven goalscorer in his native homeland, and this is his first move to a European club. He will no doubt want to show his quality on the European stage.
European Pedigree
While they are regular fixtures in European competitions, Santa Coloma very rarely make the second qualifying round of any competition.
They have only reached the second round on two occasions. Once in the Champions League (beating Banants of Armenia in the first round) and once in the Conference League (beating Mons Calpe of Gibraltar in the first round).
While not boasting a remarkable record, they do have the capability of pulling out results at home. They beat Maccabi Tel Aviv and gained a respectable draw against Astana of Kazakhstan.
Their last foray in Europe saw them get knocked out by Hibernian. They will be hoping to get some revenge against a different Celtic team this time around.
