Champions League test lies in wait in Helsinki for Scottish champions

Aug 8 2012

SCOTTISH Champions Glasgow City will follow in Celtic's footsteps tomorrow when they fly to Helsinki to take part in the first round of the UEFA Women's Champions League.

Just a day after Celtic's do-or-die second leg qualifier against HJK, the SWPL champs will arrive in the Finnish capital looking to get their own campaign off to a flier.

City made their biggest mark on the European stage last year, when they reached the last 16 of the tournament before bowing out to eventual runners-up Turbine Potsdam of Germany.

This year they are aiming to repeat that success but first they need to overcome what is widely recognised as the hardest qualification group in the opening round.

Eddie Wolecki-Black's side are in Group 8, and will face Finnish Champions PK-35 Vantaa, Croatian Champions WFC Osijek and Moldovan Champions FC Noroc Nimoreni.

First up for City will be Osijek, on Saturday, followed by Nimoreni on Monday before the showdown against host side PK-35 Vantaa next Thursday.

With only the group winners guaranteed to progress, Black knows the pressure is on.

He said: "The draw for the Champions League could not have been any tougher.

"Having three teams in the same group that qualified last year means we face a very difficult task to emulate last season’s exploits.

"There is no doubt our last Champions League run brought great exposure to the club and the girls and we would hope to repeat that success this season.

"Our first game is against the Croatians and their league form is nothing short of exceptional, having recorded 20 straight wins. They also qualified as group winners last season to progress through to the last 32 losing out to the Swedes of Gothenburg. 

"The Moldovans are a bit of an unknown quantity and won their Championship for the first time last season, therefore they will be participating in the tournament for the first time.

"Finally we have the hosts Vantaa and they have made great progress over the past few years. They won the title for the first time in 2010 and qualified from their group last year as winners before exiting to the Spaniards of Rayo Vallecano in the last 32. They have a mix of Finnish, Nigerian and New Zealand players in their squad and will prove to be difficult opponents.

"Our expectations will be to qualify for the next round and this will only be achieved by taking each game as it comes and giving every team the maximum of respect.

"We have worked hard over the years to gain the tag as number one seeds and I hope we can fulfil that ranking. We all enjoyed the limelight that last season brought us and I know this group of players are determined to make this one just as memorable."

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