I thought it would be worth looking at our next Champions League qualification opponents from the Cluj-Maccabi Tel-Aviv tie. The Romanians won their home leg 1-0, leaving the outcome wide open.
With 3.5 coefficient points, Cluj look like a dangerous non-seed. They eliminated Astana, who have 27.5 points (Celtic have 31), in the first round and hold that slim advantage over Maccabi Tel-Aviv, who have 16 points, but there are signs in the detail that these results flatter.
Celtic twice faced strong Kazak opposition in recent years but not only did this Astana team lose to Cluj, they managed only a 0-0 draw in the Europa League qualifiers in Andorra this week. On the face of it, this result looks a bit like Celtic’s afternoon in Gibraltar three years ago, but unlike Celtic then, Astana 19 games into their season. It looks like the fizz has flowed out of Kazak football, to the benefit of Cluj.
Both Cluj and Maccabi Tel-Aviv were in close season over the summer, but their preparations could not have been more different. Before their game this mid-week, Cluj played five friendlies, a Super Cup game, two qualifiers against Astana and two domestic league games. Maccabi Tel-Aviv arrived in Romania having played only three friendlies and a Super Cup game since May.
After 10 games, the Cluj squad would have been near full fitness. After four, not many of the Maccabi squad will have played a complete 90 minute game. Cluj are ready, Maccabi are not.
Celtic will have played nine games, including our opening league encounter, by the third round. Not as many as Cluj, but we will be well up to speed. I remember taking a look at AEK Athens this time last year and getting an ominous feeling. The draw has been significantly kinder this time.
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Ron67
Zidane and Real Madrid Quick News are asking the very same question regarding their players
New Balance kits have mostly been $#!te…
Tweet from#DiscoBarbie
“OMG Wouldn’t be seen dead in that new Celtic kit. Too garish for this girl”
MELBOURNE MICK on 26TH JULY 2019 2:53 PM
Good luck in the Battle of Jetty Road Brewery.
May the good ghuys prevail against slow moving staff & antiquated licensing regulations.
HH
Greetings from the M90 bus from Edinburgh to Inverness. Just finished a delightful 4 weeks in Edinburgh which gave me a chance to catch up with old friends. Only downside was travelling through to Paradise on Wednesday in a 70 seater bus with NO air conditioning 😥
I was out on a wee pub crawl last night with some acquaintances and was sitting outside the Scotsmans Lounge across from some old sevconite from Belfast. I informed I was an Unrepentant Fenian Bassa. I got the biggest hug imaginable from him when we moved onto Biddy Mulligans. Life can be strange at times 🤔
Taking in the Elgin v Hibs game tonight in Elgin – who to support? 😉
Defo time to ditch Nae Balance for a new kit manufacturer.
Imagine you had to buy your Celtic kit from a manky pub?
Meanwhile down at New Balance design centre
RE KT
1 Clubs agree a fee
2 Selling club allows buying club permission to talk to player (KT)
3 Player and buying club agree terms etc
4 Player leaves
5 Has any of this yet happened?
Scaniel
Sorry to hear that you had a burglary. Hope all fholks are well.
HH
Pog- don’t think you’re far off there…
At the moment grey is s very ‘in’ colour
However mmmmmm
Gene
Grey is in but puce isn’t!!
To be fair, it is the tight cut of the top that puts me off more. One for the youngsters
Although meet balance are getting it tight over the strips someone at Celtic is approving them
PL is colour blind – not a lot of people know that
SCANIEL-horrible feeling,like you’ve been violated.
But thankfully no one was hurt.
I really wish posters would stop with this (if KT doesn’t want to leave he won’t pap)KT is only human and like most posters on here,has the chance to move on for more money and a better life 🤔
Still makes him a Celtic fan 🤔
Don’t let it put you of turkey a brilliant place to holiday in,unless you meet a dart playing crabiit git ,who walks a big wean eating dug😉
Scaniel –
Glad to hear that you and Mrs S survived your ordeal unscathed.
HH
Scaniel –
very sorry to hear of your experience. I’ve holidayed in Turkey 5 times and never had a hint of bother. Indeed I always felt safer there than I do in many of the Spanish resorts I tend to frequent.
Hope it doesn’t put you off returning.
I recall a few posters being unhappy at how Mikael Lustig was treated by Celtic at the end of last season.
The narrative at that time was that he was waiting on Celtic to see if they wanted to activate his one year option on his contract.
From the article this morning though
“Lustig also has spoken about his disappointment at Celtic’s one year contract extension- he wanted three years and achieved that security for his family at Gent.”
Celtic wanted to activate the one year extension to keep him at the club but Mikael wanted 3 years, so he declined Celtic’s offer and got his 3 years at Gent.
I admit that I was one of those who thought the club had simply delayed making a decision on Mikael’s year option & had messed the player about. It’s now apparent that the club made their position clear and Mikael took his time to decide and worked on alternatives on the continent.
Good luck to him though.
Just back in from a nerve settling vodka and gin session which turned out to be very beneficial. Cheers for all the concern shown….. and really the material items amount to nothing in the scheme of things. He/ they won’t be back in a hurry. There’s not that much to Mrs S in stature, but in braveness she stands alone- as Bertie says about Jeeves.
Have taken TurkeyBhoy’s words to heed. Been going to Dalyan for 14 years now and no wee naff will put us off.
FTW-absolutely agree,nay legs had done his run😉
Ademola Lookman ( nope me neither ) will leave Everton for Leipzig with a fee of £22M after starting 14 games at Goodson.
I
According to our media, wait for it………. AC Milan are watching moreorless. Aye right they would send someone over to watch a player playing against a Lux part time side.👍😱😵
Are you sure it wisnae a.c. milanda ?
is it the same person who does our scouting that approves our tops.
Wouldn’t bother me one iota if we parted company with rogic and ntcham ,two players we cant rely on , the income from those two ,assuming someone wants them ,would maybe go a way to keeping KT , in fact we could throw in Scott sinclaire as well . Yes they have contributed to our 8 titles and treble trebles ,but as far as I’m concerned time to thank them for there service. We still need a midfield enforcer to look after the many slight players we have in our squad. Especially as Our rivals have bought some big hammer throwers .
https://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/17796751.frank-skinner-lisbon-lions-celtic-big-deal/
VP
Thought you’d be watching the English and Aussie ladies in the ashes cricket
Bognorbhoy
Back in the mid 60s my brother used to play in one of the Glasgow university leagues for acmilanda – played for them a couple of times as a ringer
Ron67
Is that the 3rd top u refer to ?.
Puzzled.com
HH
Watching any game on TV is interesting.
The Elgin v Hibs game is on BR Sports.
MP Douglas “Red Card, Red Card” Ross is running the line and has just given the ,kost astonishing offside decision.
Kamberi puts the ball in the net but it’s disallowed because of Ross’s incompetence OR bias.
He is the MP for Moray which includes Elgin.
Is he thinking of re-election in a snap election?
Then again maybe he has no love for Hibs?
Maybe he’s just incompetent?
I’m going for the third choice.
Just noticed that Ross is running the line with the home crowd within touching distance.
He’s so suggestibel that someone just has to shout Offside and Ross will respond accordingly.
FTW
I’ll go for all 3
ADI_DASSLER
yes
hh
Gene
It’s as likely to be milanda as milan ,if it was anyone that is..
Some photos of a.c. milanda from 68 ish on line
Bognorbhoy
Think a few teams took that name back in the day