Scottish champions Celtic will look to use their reprieve from UEFA Champions League oblivion and gain a positive result away at Slovenian titleholders NK Maribor today in the first leg of their playoff.
Celtic were soundly beaten by Polish outfit Legia Warsaw in the third qualifying round, only to regain their place in the competition thanks to an administrative error by their opponents.
Legia went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to overturn UEFA’s original decision to punish them for sending on substitute Bartosz Bereszynski at the end of the second leg — with Legia leading 6-1 on aggregate — when he was deemed as being ineligible to play as he should still have been serving a suspension.
However, the CAS refused to make a quick ruling on the matter, leaving Celtic to focus their minds on the Maribor challenge as they chase a place in the lucrative group stage.
Celtic manager Ronny Deila at least can take his side — winners of the European Cup in 1966-1967 — to Slovenia in better heart than when they faced Legia as since then the champions have begun their domestic title defense with two wins, the second a 6-1 humbling of Dundee United.
“It looks like the players now understand what they’ve got to do, so it was a good feeling for me,” the 38-year-old Norwegian said following Saturday’s victory. “We created a lot of things and kept the ball well, and also our set-plays were better.”
Celtic winger Derk Boerrigter on Monday accepted a two-match ban for diving, but he will be available to play against Maribor.
Boerrigter was handed the punishment after the Scottish Football Association’s compliance officer accused him of simulation over the penalty that put Celtic 2-0 up against St Johnstone in the first match of the season.
Boerrigter went down following a delay after being brushed by St Johnstone defender Dave Mackay, who was shown a straight red card by referee John Beaton. Nir Biton converted, before Celtic wrapped up a 3-0 win. St Johnstone appealed the red card and Mackay now looks likely to be cleared at a hearing tomorrow.
The 2003-2004 champions Porto are also in action away in the first leg at French side LOSC Lille Metropole, who enjoy a proud record when it comes to the playoffs having never lost in three previous appearances.
Porto do not represent as formidable a challenge as they did when they won the trophy, nor indeed when under Andres Villa-Boas they won the Europa League in 2010-2011 with an attack containing Colombia’s Radamel Falcao and Brazil forward Hulk.
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
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