Europa League: Best and worst case scenario for Celtic

The Europa League draw takes place tomorrow and here’s all the details that you need to know before the draw takes place.

What time is the draw: 12:00 BST

What Pot are Celtic in: Pot Two

Best case scenario: Sporting Lisbon, Celtic, SK Rapid Wien, FC Sion

Worst case scenario: Borussia Dortmund, Celtic, Fenerbahce, Partizan Belgrade

Nobody wanted to be in the Europa League, but we’re here now and we have to make the most of it.

Celtic have earned £2.13m to help ease their disappointment before they enter the Europa League, something which needs to be used to invest on new blood for Deila. They will also get another £1.74 million after Friday’s draw, meaning they will have pocketed £3.87 million before kicking a ball.

But if they qualified for the Champions League the payout was valued at £9.94 million without playing a single game.

Each win will earn Celtic a further £262,000 and a draw will earn them £87,000. If they can win the group they will get £363,000 and if they are runners-up they will get £182,000.

A look at the draw in more detail

Pot One:

It’s inevitable that Celtic will face at least one good team in the group stages and it’s very likely to come from this group. German sides Schalke and Borussia Dortmund along with Napoli and Marseille are teams that they will be hoping to avoid giving them a better chance of topping the group. It’s likely that Basel and Premier League side Tottenham will be in pot one which would certainly give Deila’s men a stern test.

Pot Two:

Celtic are certain to be in this pot and won’t have to worry about any teams in this pot alongside them, for now. Liverpool, Fiorentina and Lazio are the biggest names in this pot and would all be teams Celtic will be looking to avoid until the latter stages, should they reach that stage.

Pot Three:

This pot can cause Celtic some problems with money oligarchs Monaco a possibility and hostile trip to Turkish outfit Fenerbahce. Recent foes Legia Warsaw could also be paired with Celtic – let’s just hope they can fill all those forms out this time round. APOEL also feature in this group and having made the group stages of the Champions League last year and the quarter-finals in 2011/12, they would provide stiff opposition for the Hoops.

Pot Four:

Whilst the quality of the teams in this pot aren’t as good as pots one and three, teams in this pot can still cause problems for Celtic. FC Sion, who were opponents for Celtic in 2011 and again shrouded in controversy after playing five ineligible players due to a transfer embargo. Long trips to Serbia, Greece or Albania are a given in this stage of the competition. There’s also the possibility of facing Qarabag who Celtic edged past in the third round qualifier for the Champions League.

What draw you want to see Celtic get for the group stages? Tweet your thoughts to @ReadCeltic.