Glasgow City prepare for their European fate 
Scotland’s Glasgow City will learn their European fate, just after 14:00(CET) tomorrow (13:00 UK time), when the draw begins for the qualifying round for the Champions League at the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon.
The draw, conducted by Karen Espelund, member of the UEFA Executive Committee and chair of the UEFA Women's Football Committee, will involve 32 teams, to be drawn into eight groups of four, with the winners of each group and the best two runners-up making it into the round of the last 32, where they will join the 22 highest ranks teams in Europe, who do not need to enter the first qualification round.
With fantastic successes in Europe in the last four years, Glasgow City have pushed themselves significantly up the rankings and enter the qualification round as the number one seed, out of the qualifying 32 champions from other countries in Europe.
Glasgow City became the only team from the qualifying round to get to the last 16 and were the only team with unpaid players at that stage of the competition.
With the host nations for the qualification round already decided, Glasgow City know their destination will be either Serbia, Slovakia, Finland, Malta, Macedonia or Slovenia and they will compete between the 11th and 16th of August.
Commenting on the draw, Club Manager Laura Montgomery said, “To be the top seeds for qualification is fantastic news, given we were one the bottom ranked teams back in 2008.
“It is credit to the players and staff for their hard work over the previous four European campaigns that we have been able to help influence this situation and we are very proud to be in this position as the Champions of Scotland, representing our country in the most elite club tournament in the world.
“However, as the top ranked side, we are obviously under pressure to ensure we progress out of the initial stages and into the last 32, but having to win every week in our own League, our team rarely plays without pressure, so I don’t feel this will have any more of an influence on the team than in any of the previous European campaigns.
“In terms of where we go, we are really not too concerned, although the cheapest destination is always preferred by myself and our Chairperson who have to cope with ensuring we have the funds to compete in the first place.
“This is the most exciting time every season for our club and without doubt what we play for every week to do our best to ensure we retain our Premier League crown every season. European football I am sure all of our players will agree is the most exciting, demanding and enjoyable aspect of club football and we cannot wait for the draw tomorrow.”
For more information on the draw and the entrants, visit http://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/index.html
Pictured - Glasgow City celebrating their 3rd goal in their 3-0 away win over Valur Reykjavik in the last 32 of the UEFA Women's Champions League 2011
27.06.12
