Maccabi Tel Aviv to face new opponent in Champions League third round qualifying: FC Viktoria Plzen.
The draw for the third round of Champions League qualifying was held this morning in Nyon, Switzerland. Should Maccabi Tel Aviv be able to defeat Hibernians FC of Malta on aggregate Tuesday night at Bloomfield Stadium they will face FC Viktoria Plzen Champions of the Czech Republic.
Viktoria Plzen was founded in 1911 and comes from the western side of the Czech Republic. The domestic league is currently ranked 14th best in Europe and the team plays at the Doosan Arena which underwent two renovations, the first in 2003 and another one in 2011. Today the stadium holds 12,000 seats and is located in the Strunc Park near the confluence of the Mze and Radbuza rivers.
This past season Plzen won the Czech First League title by five points over Sparta Prague who also entered Champions League qualification in the third round. Over the past five seasons Plzen has won three league championships which has turned the club into a dominating force in Czech football. The club has participated twice in the Champions League group stages and this year entered directly into the third round.
Miroslav Koubek is the club's 63-year old coach and will enter his second season in charge of the Czech side. Last year the veteran manager won his first ever league title with the help of leading goal scorer Daniel Kolar, midfielder Vaclav Pilar and Bosnian Aidin Mahmutovic.
