Aberdeen will find out who they will play in the first qualifying round of the Europa League later today.
The Dons are seeded for the draw and could face eight teams. FK Liepaja (Latvia), Levadia Tallinn (Estonia), St Patricks (Ireland) and RoPS (Finland) have all made it through to the first qualifying round, while Barry Town (Wales), Cliftonville (Northern Ireland), KÍ (Faroe Islands) and Tre Fiori (San Marino) will have to play a preliminary round first.
The draw takes place at 2.30pm, but if last year is to go by then it will be an hour or so late. The ties will be played on July 11 and 18.
FK Liepaja
The Latvian side are currently 15 games into their season where they lie 7th in a nine team league. They play in the city of Leipaja, on the west coast of Latvia. Leipaja were formed in 2014 after FK Liepaja Metalurgs were dissolved following bankruptcy. A year after being founded they won the Latvian Higher League.
So far this season they have played 15, won five, drawn two, lost eight, scored 12 and conceded 16.
FCI Levadia Tallinn
The Estonia side are lying in 2nd position in the top league after 15 games. Like Liepaja they are currently halfway through their league season. Last year they finished in 2nd place, just two points behind winners Kalju Nomme. They possibly have the best club motto: “The winners will not surrender to the runner-ups”.
So far this season, in 15 games, they have won 11, lost two, drawn two, scored 47 and conceded just 12. Their top scorer is Yevhen Budnik. The Ukrainian striker has played 14 games this campaign, scored 10 and assisted three goals.
Barry Town
Barry Town finished 3rd in the Welsh Premier League last season which earned them qualification to the preliminary round of Europa League. They play Northern Irish side Cliftonville on June 27, the second leg will take place on July 4.
If Barry Town make it through to the next round and are drawn against Aberdeen then the Dons fans will have to make their way to the Leckwith Stadium in Cardiff after Jenner Park failed to meet Uefa rules.
Cliftonville
The Northern Irish side are the oldest football club on the island of Ireland. They were formed in 1879. They currently play at Solitude Park in Belfast which has a capacity of 2,500 and also has a plastic pitch.
Probably the biggest game in the club’s history was during the 2013/14 season when they played Celtic in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. They lost 5-0 on aggregate.
St Patricks
The Dublin club like a couple of teams in the list are halfway through their season. Currently they sit in 5th position after 17 games. Aberdeen fans will be familiar with their midfielder Chris Forrester who moved back to Ireland following a disappointing spell at Pittodrie.
Another notable player is former Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday and Dunfermline player Rhys McCabe. Their top scorer so far this season is former Aston Villa and Portsmouth player Michael Drennan who has five goals.
RoPS
The Finnish side are currently 11 games through their season and it’s not going well. They are sitting third bottom of the league with just 11 points. That’s a huge difference to last season when they finished in second place, 16 points behind HJK Helsinki.
RoPS are from the city of Rovaniemi which is just four miles south of the Arctic Circle, and is situated in the Lapland region. Their biggest achievement was reaching the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 87/88. Aberdeen have their own history in that tournament.
Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag
Faroe Island side KÍ are top of the league at the moment after 13 games. Like many of the teams in the list of potential opponents they are semi-professional. Founded in 1904 they are one of the most successful clubs in the Faroes.
KÍ don’t have the best history in European competition. In 20 matches they have won only twice. Once against a team from Malta and the other against Maccabi Haifa in the 95/96 season. They will be playing San Marino side Tre Fiori in the preliminary round.
Tre Fiori
Tre Fiori are based in Fiorentino, San Marino. During their history they have played 10 games in Europe, but only won once. That was against Welsh side Bala Town. Last season they were thumped 10-0 on aggregate by Slovenian side Rudar Velenje.
They play at Stadio di Fiorentino which has a capacity of just over 1000, but European games in the past have been played at the Stadio Tullo Morgagni, the home of Forli FC which holds 3500.
The Forty Two 