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Europa League: What do we know about Celtic’s opponents?

By Kieran Buggs

LYON, FRANCE - MAY 16: A detailed view of the trophy ahead of the UEFA Europa League Final between Olympique de Marseille and Club Atletico de Madrid at Stade de Lyon on May 16, 2018 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
LYON, FRANCE - MAY 16: A detailed view of the trophy ahead of the UEFA Europa League Final between Olympique de Marseille and Club Atletico de Madrid at Stade de Lyon on May 16, 2018 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) /
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Following Celtic’s defeat at the hands AEK Athens in the Champions League third round, The Hoops are looking to get their European adventures back on track, this time in the Europa League Play-Offs.

On Thursday, Celtic pay a visit to Marijampolė in Lithuania to play last season’s A Lyga champions, FK Sūduva Marijampolė in the first of two legs which could see them progress through to the Europa League group stages.

Who Are FK Suduva?

Celtic have met the Lithuanian side on one previous occasion, competing in the 2002 UEFA Cup over two legs, which saw The Bhoys thump FK Sūduva 10-1 on aggregate. After a few years hiatus from European football, Sūduva are now firmly back in the mix, competing in Europe in 11 of the past 12 seasons.

Sūduva finally won their first ever A Lyga title last season, having featured regularly amongst the top teams over the past decade, thus placing them in Europe this season.

Route to the Europa League Play-Offs

Following their domestic triumph last season, the Marijampolė based club looked to continue their success on the European circuit. Qualifying for the first round of the Champions League qualifiers, as part of their league win, FK Sūduva saw victory in their first ever Champions League appearance.

Despite a 0-1 loss in the second leg, the Lithuanian side progressed through to the second round, winning 3-2 on aggregate against Cypriot side APOEL.

Sūduva’s second round wasn’t to be however, crashing out against Red Star Belgrade in some style, losing 5-0 on aggregate.

To face Celtic on Thursday, the Lithuanian side saw of Latvian opposition in the form of FK Spartaks Jūrmala in the third qualifying round of the Europa League. Whilst Celtic dropped out of the Champions League third-round to meet them in the group stage qualifier.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 08: Kieran Tierney of Celtic in action during the UEFA Champions League Qualifiing match between Celtic and AEK Athens at Celtic Park Stadium on August 8, 2018 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – AUGUST 08: Kieran Tierney of Celtic in action during the UEFA Champions League Qualifiing match between Celtic and AEK Athens at Celtic Park Stadium on August 8, 2018 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images) /

Ones to watch

Something the FK Sūduva forwards do not lack is height, with the striker partnership of Rignio Cicilia and recent signing, Mihret Topcagic, measuring at 6ft 5in and 6ft 3in respectively.

Curaçaoan forward Riginio Cicilia has already proven his worth for FK Sūduva in Europe this season, netting his first career hat-trick against APOEL at the ARVI Football Arena in the Lithuanian side’s Champions League first round win. The forward netted all three goals within the opening 20 minutes, with the former Port Vale striker taking just ten minutes from the first goal to complete his hat-trick.

Cicilia isn’t a lone star amongst the team though, requiring much help from striking partner Mihret Topcagic also offering the use of his height to target, with the strength to hold up play as well as goal poaching prowess.

This has proved successful both in Europe and in the domestic league, with Lithuanian international midfielder Ovidijus Verbickas often feeding off of the forwards to create goals, tallying up 8 so far in A Lyga this season, registering as the league’s second top scorer. 

 

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