Kilmarnock's Europa League qualifying opponents locked in

Who would’ve thought that Kilmarnock’s European destiny would lie in the hands of Real Madrid? If you mentioned that would be the case to any of us in June 2023 then I think most would’ve laughed.

Lochlin was on the ball on Saturday evening though, waiting to announce our confirmed potential opponents for the second round of Europa League qualifying. With Real’s 15th Champions League title in the bag, that meant Tobol Kostanay of Kazakhstan could not enter our draw as a seeded team. And I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say thank you, Carlo, for saving us mere mortals the potential of a 3,500-mile round trip.

Now that we do know the majority of the nine teams we could play on July 25 and August 1, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each side and trip. No matter who comes out of that hat though, we’ll be there!

Ajax

The dream tie. Anyone who says they wouldn’t want a crack at these European giants is quite frankly kidding themselves on. Can you imagine being in the stands at the Johan Cruyff Arena to watch the famous blue & white stripes? No, me either – but it could soon become a reality! Despite their troubles in recent years the squad is still valued to be worth hundreds of millions, so it’s safe to say the chances of progression would be slim to none. Would we take that for the chance to welcome them to Rugby Park plus visit Amsterdam? Absolutely.

Braga

Nicknamed The Quarry, Sporting Club de Braga’s stadium is quite literally built into the face of a mountain. Fun fact: Its design won the Pritzker Prize in 2011, seen as the Nobel Prize of architecture. A tie against the Portuguese giants would be another one you could file in the ‘glamour’ category. They’ve played Rangers multiple times in this competition in recent years, so most Scots will be familiar enough with what they bring to the table. To give some more context about their European pedigree – they played in the group stage of last season’s Champions League. That probably tells you everything you need to know in terms of how challenging an opponent they’d be, as well as the stark gulf in finances.

Molde

A team of stature on the European front? Yes, to an extent. The sexiest name on the list? Far from it. Could they still demolish most Scottish Premiership teams? Probably. Personally, I would rather see us avoid the Norwegian side. Taking into account that, for the away leg, it would cost fans an arm and a leg to both get there and with spending money, with Norway a notoriously expensive place to visit, I think that’s reason enough to prefer another team. Once you factor in that they’ll be midway through their domestic season, and therefore much more match-sharp than our boys, then that backs up that point of view.

Trabzonspor

Borna Barisic will endure horrible flashbacks of Danny Armstrong if the Turkish side draws Killie in the second qualifying round. Just when the left-back thought he’d managed to get rid of our mercurial winger, there he will be, tormenting him, like he did many a time against Rangers, once again. This could be an interesting storyline should we come up against Trabzonspor, with John Lundstram also expected to join. With no direct flights from Scotland to Trabzon though, this trip would prove difficult for fans. Perhaps another team we’d rather avoid.

Cercle Brugge

This could be a winner on several fronts. Central Europe – tick. Decent-sized stadium – tick. Easy to get to – tick. Lovely city to visit – tick. A winnable tie – tick. On that last point in particular, of course it would be a huge task to overcome a team from Belgium’s top flight. Let’s be clear, winning any of these games is going to prove incredibly difficult. But Cercle are slightly closer to the Killie side of things on the scale of European teams on this list, so I’m sure we’d give them as good as we get.

HNK Rijeka

Yes, please. There are obviously pros and cons to every team on this list, but the standard of Croatian football is hardly revered around the continent and I believe they’re a team we should be confident of defeating over two legs. Derek McInnes has previously done so at Aberdeen, although, it’s important to recognise they repaid the favour a few years later. With a stadium capacity of a little over 8,200 the scramble for away tickets would be problematic. Croatia would be a dream to visit with Killie though, so this ranks high on my preference list.

Rapid Wien

Having been before, Vienna is a stunning city to visit with plenty to see and do. This would be another tie I think most of us supporters would fancy. Again, it’s in a great location, easily accessible and most who would want a ticket for the away game at the Allianz Stadion would get one. As will be the case with every tie, a lot will depend on whether we’re at home first or second. That’s purely down to the luck of the draw.

Sheriff Tiraspol or EQ1 side

Famous for their 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid in 2021, that makes a tie against the Moldovan team an intriguing one for sure. Travel arrangements could prove difficult with the Eastern European country one of the harder to reach on this list. It’s important to note that Sheriff are made to play their home matches in the capital city, Chisinau, though, with their base in Transnistria, a breakaway region not recognised internationally. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, UEFA made the decision that matches in their competitions should not be staged there.

Maribor or EQ1 side

Like Sheriff above, Maribor are not guaranteed to be in the second round of the draw. However, it is likely they should beat any of the prospective round-one teams. Would be quite content with coming up against them. Visiting Slovenia isn’t on my bucket list but I think it’s one of these places that could well make special memories for those who travel.