Champions League primer

274

Kairat arrive in Glasgow today after a disruptive trip across the globe.  Unlike Celtic when they travel in the opposite direction next week, Kairat cannot keep to their usual body clock routine.  It will be midnight in Almaty when tomorrow’s game kicks off – 2am by fulltime.  For professional athletes, that’s a challenge.

There are seven Champions League playoff ties this week: five in the champions section, two non-champions.  I watched Bodo/Glimt eliminate Lazio from the Europa League quarterfinal in April.  Ange Postecoglou (eventually) got the better of them in the semifinal, but I expect them to make the cut against Sturm Graz.

Benfica are likely to progress against Fenerbahce, while I fancy Copenhagen against Basel.  Red Star should have enough to overcome Cypriots Pafos.  Ferencvaros are not the side they were five years ago, they could fall to Qarabag.  As for Brugge?  They have traded big this summer, spent €36m and sold €82m of talent.  That’s a lot of change to pull together for their trip to Ibrox tonight.  The Belgians should still edge it.

With what I am assuming is mischievous ‘paper talk going round, a friend suggested if we are looking for an older striker, it’s a pity Gerd Muller passed away a few years ago.  Otherwise, he would have been ideal.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

274 Comments

  1. glendalystonsils on

    A heavy defeat here could do more than just knock them out of the CL .

     

     

    Won’t gloat too much until we’re through though .

  2. 3-0 now from twenty yards out.

     

    Like I said the other day, I’m glad we’re playing Kairat

     

    though I guess we could never play Bruges in the qualifiers

  3. we dont do walking away,

     

     

    20 minutes gone, they are going to miss the rest of the goals.

  4. Greenpinata @ 6:32 pm,

     

     

    Yes, exactly.

     

     

    BSR @ 7:47 pm,

     

     

    Very well put.

     

     

    Yes Paul67 obviously has a downer on our Manager but he tries to be factually accurate and back up his opinions that way.

     

     

    How the controversial nature of the site “adds” to the hits is interesting, you would hope the “wind ups” are genuinely felt rather than created for effect.

     

     

    Yet for some disingenuous is the mildest way you can describe their noxious comments.

     

     

    As GREENPINATA says, Brendan Rodgers is our best fit and loosing him because of the misguided egos on our Board would be tragic.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  5. Laxalt @ 6:32 pm,

     

     

    Yes, the idea we could get a Nakamura now is a stretch let alone a Larsson.

     

     

    However, there is surely a mid-point between Declan Rice and Inamura.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  6. Ugly scenes at The Dilapidated Facade?????

     

     

     

    :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

  7. ADI_DASSLER NOT FOR 2ND BEST on 19TH AUGUST 2025 8:47 PM

     

    Now they are fckd we will be subject to the sectarian pish.

     

    —————

     

    There’s naebdy left on n the ground to sing it! 😂😂😂

  8. HALF-TIME

     

    published at 20:50 British Summer Time

     

    20:50 BST

     

    Rangers 0-3 Club Brugge

     

     

    The BBC office in Glasgow is less than a mile from Ibrox.

     

     

    There have been fans in red, white and blue heading past for a while now and we could hear the boos as the half-time whistle went.

     

     

    They were just going back to the sports sportsound office

  9. the long wait is over on

    WHAT IS THE STARZ on 19TH AUGUST 2025 8:52 PM

     

    Have they not suffered enough

     

     

    ——-

     

     

    Never

  10. That Haddy CH who went walkabout on first goal,he’s the guy they got the Saints match put back on for because he would have missed the Celtic game.Whits the CH dain Tom.

     

    😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

  11. Tom English sounds like he’s about to start greetin. Not even joking. Sounds like his voice is about to break with upset. 😂😂😂

  12. get me on a zoom right now with andrew

     

     

    Cav, this investment in the glass-gow rangers franchise,

     

     

    did you keep the receipt,

     

     

    we were duped

  13. bournesouprecipe on

    RAY WINSTONE’S BIG DISEMBODIED HEID on 19TH AUGUST 2025 8:57 PM

     

    Club Boos 0 – Club Bruges 3

     

     

    ——-

     

     

    Well played 👍

  14. Hot Smoked,

     

    Well,that will teach you to listen to TML.He’s only ever been right once.The time he said he was wrong about something.

  15. This game/tie is unfortunately not over yet….if Sevco can get the ball to Antman and Danillio s bit quicker then Brugge could be in trouble.

     

    At least there’s no Celtic fans hoping for an Ibrox victory…oh wait….there’s one!!

     

     

    Chair boy….on behalf of all us real Celtic fans thanks for showing your support by buying a £40 a year illegal firestick.

     

     

    Mon the Brugge….fekin bury these ratbags

  16. Bruges may well have sold some of their better players but they are still a very well organised team with a bit of pace and power moving forward. Be surprised if they do not add to the score in the second half.

     

    Celtic need to keep our eyes on the prize, which is primarily get into the Champions League proper

     

    and hopefully use that windfall to strengthen the team for the CL league format.

  17. I thought this would be a close tie, my goodness that wasn’t my best prediction 😂

     

     

    Bruges may have given us a game plan for Ibrox. Sit in and break.