Monday, 24th June, 2013
Irish-born Celtic forward Anthony Stokes is relishing the prospect of meeting Cliftonville in the Champions League second qualifying round.
The draw for the second round has been made today and the Hoops – who are seeded in the round – have been pitted against the Belfast-based outfit, who won the IFA Premiership – Northern Irish top flight – last season.
The first leg will take place on 16th/17th July at Celtic Park, while the second leg will be played at Solitude in Belfast, on 23rd/24th July.
"It´s a great draw for both clubs", Stokes told his club’s official site.
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"Cliftonville had an exceptional season and it will be a tough game and we will have to be at our best, but we´re going to have a good pre-season and will be ready.
The Republic of Ireland international, who has won two Scottish Premier League titles as well as two Scottish Cups with the Celts, also believes that the atmospheres in the respective grounds during the British derby will be electric.
"Both atmospheres will be electric. I´m sure they will have a good crowd over here for the game as I know there is a decent relationship between the two clubs.
"I know a lot of their fans would be Celtic fans as well or would look for us to do well, though maybe not in these two games. But it´s all about on the night and we will fancy our chances at home.
“We will give it our all, and hopefully get a good result to take over there”, he added.
The Hoops, under Neil Lennon, reached the Round of 16 of the Champions League in the 2012/13 season. Although they failed to progress further than that round following defeat against Juventus, the Celts made an impact after defeating Spanish giants Barcelona in the group stages.
Celtic also achieved a domestic double last season.
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