The First Round of the Europa League Qualifying draw took place today in Nyon, Switzerland and will see Maccabi Tel Aviv play KF Tirana of Albania in a two legged tie.
The first leg will take place at home on June 29th while the return contest will be one week later on July 6th. Maccabi will begin their European campaign in the first round of qualifying and will be ranked (23.375 points, first amongst the ranked teams) all the way through qualification and most probably the playoff round.
Maccabi’s coach Jordi Cruyff told the club’s official website in response to The draw: “The team from Tirana is a team that played 5 matches this season which is always a challenge when you just begin the campaign. In the past years we experienced that the football of every European nation shouldn’t be underestimated and must be respected – Albanian football is no different”.
Who will Maccabi play in the Second Round should they advance?
Should Maccabi advance to the second round of Europa League qualifying, they will face the winner of SJK Seinajoki of Finland and KR Reykjavik from Iceland with the matches taking place on July 13th while the return leg will be played on July 20th.
Albania Cup Holders: KF Tirana
One of the oldest and finest Clubs in Albania, KF Tirana won the Cup this past season while finishing their domestic league in second to last place. Tirana has won 24 league championships and have been a regular in European competition while hosting their home matches at the Selman Stërmasi Stadium which holds 9,500 seats.
