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10 facts about Stjarnan and FC Lusitans, Celtic and West Ham’s European opponents

Stjarnan: The Icelandic side will face Celtic in Champions League qualifying

West Ham and Celtic learned their European qualifying fate on Monday – but who on earth are Stjarnan and FC Lusitans?

Here, we give you the lowdown on Celtic's Icelandic Champions League opponents and West Ham's Andorran Europa League rivals.

STJARNAN

1) Celtic’s opponents Stjarnan are best known for a bizarre series of choreographed goal celebrations which took internet by storm a few years ago. A compilation of their best efforts – including ‘the bicycle’, ‘fish out of water’ and ‘the human toilet’ - has over been watched over four million times on YouTube.

2) Stjarnan won their first Úrvalsdeildar title in dramatic fashion last season. They were two points behind leaders FH when they went head to head of the final day of the season. Both sides were undefeated and, needing three points to leapfrog their rivals, Stjarnan converted a stoppage time penalty to seal a 2-1 victory and get their hands on the trophy.

3) The Icelanders beat Welsh side Bangor City, Motherwell and Polish side Lech Poznan in the Europa League qualifying rounds last season, but their first ever European campaign was emphatically ended as they were hammered 9-0 on aggregate by Inter Milan in the play-off for the group stage.

Stjarnan fans pictures during their defeat to Inter Milan at the San Siro
Image: Stjarnan fans pictures during their defeat to Inter Milan at the San Siro

4) Stjarnan took 22 fans to Motherwell’s Fir Park that year, and they were pictured celebrating with their shirts off in the stands as the Icelanders twice came from behind to claim a shock 2-2 draw.

5) This season, Stjarnan have not fared so well in the Úrvalsdeildar. After eight games, they sit sixth in the 12-team league with 12 points.

6) Stjarnan play their home games at the Stjörnuvöllur stadium, which only has one stand and a capacity of around 1,000. It is located in Gardabaer, the sixth largest town in Iceland with a population of around 14,000. 

7) The majority of Stjarnan’s squad are from Iceland, but they also have two Danes, one Faroe Islander and Pablo Punyed, a Miami-born El Salvador international with six international caps.

Ronny Deila: Celtic manager on the touchline at Inverness
Image: Ronny Deila: Celtic manager will prepare his side for a trip to Iceland

8) Despite their goal celebration fame, Stjarnan’s official Twitter account has fewer than 2,000 followers.

9) Stjarnan’s manager is Rúnar Páll Sigmundsson. A former Iceland youth interntional who had a spell at the club during his playing career and has also coached Norwegian club Levanger FK.

10) Stjarnan’s women’s team has been enjoyed more success than their male counterparts in recent years, winning three league titles and two domestic cups since 2011.

FC LUSITANS

1) West Ham’s opponents FC Lusitans have only been in existence for 16 years having been founded in 1999.

2) Their first trophy came just three years later, when they won the 2001/02 Copa Constitucio – Andorra’s national cup.

3) The club’s logo resembles that of Portugal’s national team, and the club have a strong Portuguese identity. Lusitans have a Portuguese chairman and a number of Portuguese players, and their fans are mostly Portuguese immigrants living in Andorra.

Slaven Bilic: Croatian has signed a three-year contract at West Ham
Image: Slaven Bilic: New West Ham boss will face FC Lusitans in his first game in charge

4) They are two-time winners of Andorra’s Primera Divisió - in 2011/12 and 2012/13 - and finished runners-up last year. 

5) Lusitans were on course to win last year’s title with four games to go, but they failed to win any of their remaining fixtures as FC Santa Coloma jumped ahead of them.

6) Lusitans played their first European fixtures in the 2010/11 Europa League, when they were eliminated 11-0 on aggregate by Macedonia’s Rabotnicki, who were eventually knocked out by Liverpool. The following year they were knocked out by Croatian club Varazdin 6-1 on aggregate.

7) Lusitans qualified for the 2012/13 Champions League, where they were eliminated 9-1 on aggregate in the first qualifying round by Maltese side Valletta. The following year they were beaten by Faroe Islands outfit EB/Streymur 7-3 on aggregate at the same stage.

8) Like every side in the eight-team Primera Divisió, FC Lusitans play at the 1,000-capacity Camp d’Esports d’Aixoval in the heart of the Pyrenees mountains.

9) Lusitans are based in Andorra la Vella, the capital of the principality the entire population could fit inside West Ham’s Boleyn Ground.

10) While West Ham have suffered relegation as recently as the 2010/11 season, Lusitans have never fallen out of the Andorran top flight.

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