Aberdeen have drawn Swedish side BK Hacken in the second round of Europa Conference League qualifying.
Having finished fourth in last season’s Premiership, the Dons enter next term’s inaugural Conference League competition against the Gothenburg-based outfit – currently rock-bottom of the Allsvenskan – who they play at Pittodrie on July 22, before the return leg at the Brevida Arena on July 29 (Thursday evenings) .
The Granite City side were seeded in pot nine of today’s main path draw in Nyon, Switzerland, and have been rewarded with a return to the city of their 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph.
In all, 108 teams will play in second qualifying round ties across the champions path, comprised of teams dropping out of Champions League qualifying at the first-round stage, and main path.
New Reds gaffer Stephen Glass, in the middle of a summer rebuild, will be hopeful the new Conference League can help him deliver European group stage football to the Red Army for the first time since Jimmy Calderwood’s team made the UEFA Cup groups in 2007/08.
His team will have to negotiate the second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round to achieve this goal.
Aberdeen – under former boss Derek McInnes – fell short in Europa League qualifying several times in the years since Calderwood’s team achieved their feat, suffering a third-round loss to Sporting Clube de Portugal last term.
The draw for the Europa Conference League third qualifying round is on July 19 and, should the Dons get through, they will play their tie on August 5 and 12.