There are hidden dangers with any opponent. Hearts arrived at Celtic Park bottom of the league on Saturday, but when you looked into their results, they dominated most games, just couldn’t finish.
We have Falkirk on Sunday, who are five wins from five in the Championship and look every inch a Premiership side. Look hard enough and you will find the threat. However, there are some games, like home to Hearts and Falkirk, that no matter the threat, Celtic really should win.
Slovan Bratislava are comfortably better than any side we have faced this season, but if we have any notion of being a Champions League team, we have to collect all three points against the tournament’s debutants tonight.
So far this season Slovan’s form has been excellent. They came through four qualifying ties undefeated and managed to eliminate Midtjylland in the playoff round. Top of the Slovak league, they won away at third place Duajska Streda on Saturday, with an 89th minute penalty (they conceded a 98th minute penalty which was not converted).
The only cloud this season was a 0-5 home defeat to second placed MSK Zilina, which came three days after that win over Midtjylland, and preparations were not as good as they will be for tonight’s game. Best to ignore this result and expect the side who knocked out the team who are undefeated and top of the table in Sweden.
The most compelling observation from Slovan’s stats is that they concede and create a high number of chances. Expect goals tonight.
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Why, hello there UCL game day.Good to see you again.
Also, happy Wednesday!
!
Top of the day Aipple and all.
We need an Atletico level of performance tonight (the home game!).
Good luck Celtic.
HH.
Nervous about tonight.
I was there for the Partizan game… Would take the same game and result tonight.
I think Slovan will be good and I’m expecting a much more entertaining spectacle than the norm. They will hurt us but we will also be unleashed from the relentless low block and we saw in pre-season how dangerous we can be in the transition. Really looking forward to it.
Word on the club results. That’s what success looks like. Very strong financials NOT at the expense of the team in the park. Well done to the club/ Board for getting the balance right.
Probably safe to assume we’ve never been 2/9 to win a match in the champions league as we are tonight.
First game or not, tonight is a must win because the next three will be infinitely more difficult.
“Dangers” ??
What you talking about?
According to the SMSM we’re playing a diddy team, put together on a shoe-string budget.
Of course, a cynic would say they’re creating this narrative in order to damn us with faint praise when we win.
SS
I’m sure there are a fair number of Scots that would like to see us getting beaten
To work tonight Celtic
For us and each other
Do your best Celts.
Be ruthless in front of goal
Be solid defending it.
HH
Good luck Celtic, 3 points please be on it first to last whistle , send wee weiss back home beaten and hopefully well beaten on his last encounter with Celtic ,it will though be a tough game against a better opponent.
After looking at CL games last night. It is essential that we get a win and 3 points. Number of goals are not important as this league is more than the old group stage. 2-0 and then game management mode would be suitable
Pity this piddling little Champions League thingy has to get in the way of discussing Dave King’s preferred brand of tea bags but I suppose you need a bit of variety now and again.
Struggling to see too many away points so we will have to be near-perfect at home if we are to progress.
Midfield is maybe the only dilemma. Three from four. Think I would probably bring in Bernardo for Hatate. Great to have the level of quality to be able to leave a really good player out. Certainly a luxury we haven’t had in previous years.
Having said that I wonder if you could play all four – Engels in a Jota-type role on the left? Maeda might be better-suited to the games where we will have less possession? Just a thought…
Anyway – go for it Celtic. Play to your strengths, no stupid mistakes, no switching off, definitely no ball-watching, red cards or conceding twice in five minutes!
Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci has died aged 59. RIP.
Expect Slovan to be similar to German 10th ish placed team in terms of style and organisation, they will carry some sort of threat , so 90 minute switch on.
No sense for us to change formation so 4-3-3 with Reo to start and push up to support the wee fella and then Paulo on for the last 20 minutes or so.
Expect Kuhn will have been up against similar style opposition many times , so looking for him to find plenty of space down the right and act as decoy for big Arne to break through the lines.
Should be a good game , only a fool would predict the result , so 3-1 to the hoops.
HH
Any kind of win will do tonight. 3 points needed to get on the road.
Mon the hoops.
D :)
I’m apprehensive ahead of the kick-off whistle – and not just becos its a 4.55am rise for us downunders.
It’s just so important we start this campaign with the right attitude and energy, so’s to assert our true quality.
If the unthinkable were to happen – ie get mugged by a shoestring budget mob – would our next signings be their entire recruitment team?
Anyways, anyways… enough of the negative nelly pish.
2-1 to the Bhoys!!
From what i can see Slovan Bratislava have only paid good money for six of their whole squad with another half dozen brought through the ranks, every other player coming in on a free. I can only find two of their players, Kucka and Strelic who were in the Slovakian squad in the Euro Finals, whilst we had three Scots plus Schmeichel.
It is really down to the Manager and the players now, we are capable of scoring goals at home, scored against Athletico, Lazio and Feyonoord last time out, and will create goal scoring positions this evening. But so will they. Sounds simple but we need every player to concentrate for every minute of the ninety, and I hope and believe that if we do that we will get off to a winning start in this 36 team league. Allons Y
Oooofft warm out there guys, for all the folicaly challenged guys out there remember your sun cream.
And yes Turkey bhoy my nurse gave me a suncream rub down earlier after discovering that there was still a stitch holding my knee wound open.
D :)
I think tonight’s occasion will reveal the kind of Celtic we really didn’t see against Hearts on Saturday. We can’t afford to ‘feel’ our way into the CL campaign this time , we have to be out of the blocks sharpish . It’s time to restore some of our former Euro credibility .
Anywhere showing the youth game?
Log ins
quadrophenian on 18th September 2024 2:01 pm
“If the unthinkable were to happen – ie get mugged by a shoestring budget mob – would our next signings be their entire recruitment team?”
I can never understand that logic. If Slovan (or Man City) had wanted to buy Idah in the summer, neither would not be getting quoted £9M like we were – market rates would apply but regardless of who might have paid what for him, he is still the same player.
Also would we be signing their recruitment team to augment or replace our own that found MOR for 1.5 million? Our team must be so good given he was 2nd choice behind the boy that went to Middlesborough (?) – how good a player must he have been ;)
3rd ticket (and seat on bus) sourced for my son’s mate so he gets to go to his first CL game. Can’t wait.
QB
The Sopranos documentary is brilliant
!!BADA BING!! on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2024 2:35 PM
The Sopranos documentary is brilliant
…..
Where can I watch the doc ?
They don’t pop into Satin Dolls by any chance?
HH
Ekbhoy- Firestick app….under Series tab,Wise Guys it’s called
Celtic Mac
They had 4 in Slovak squad and 2 Georgian plus an Albanian from euros.
MAZZY on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2024 1:29 PM
Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci has died aged 59. RIP.
—-
A vivid memory of my 8 year old heart being broken by the man. 59, far too young. Mary Queen of Ireland, pray for Toto.
burnley78
I could only find two that were in the Slovakian squad, Kucka and Strelic, who were the other two?
And who are the other 3 Euro finalists?
U19s 3-0 up after 65 minutes
Their manager Vladimir Weiss managed Artmedia when they beat us 5-0 in Bratislava and lost 4-0 to us in the 2nd leg in Glasgow.
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy on 18th September 2024 3:30 pm
That’s a very interesting coincidence, knew his son played for the huns, if I recall correctly, he was pish !
I watched their qualifier. They shoot on sight. We need to close them down and not give them a look at goal.
Prestonpans bhoys on 18th September 2024 3:32 pm
“That’s a very interesting coincidence, knew his son played for the huns, if I recall correctly, he was pish !”
Aye, not only did he have a face only a parent could love but he was also only a footballer that a father would rate going by the number of times Snr supposedly signed Jnr for teams he managed!
Right, aff oot for the bus – have a good evening all, hope your team wins :)
QB
4-0
PRESTONPANS BHOYS on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2024 3:32 PM
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy on 18th September 2024 3:30 pm
That’s a very interesting coincidence, knew his son played for the huns, if I recall correctly, he was pish
………….
Yes his son was on loan at Ibrox for a season from Man City. Bought into the whole Hun Kulture a bit like Todd only worse. We mocked him and he went the same way as Todd.
It’s hard to believe that was 14 years ago. He was 20 then and 34 now and is Captain of Slovan Bratislava. I read about him some years ago (after Ibrox) when he played for Finamo Bucharest and some of his mates were slung out of a Bucharest restaurant for behaving obnoxiously and upsetting the other clientele due to their noisy behaviour.
Bus in 45 minutes, time for a few red wines 🍷 😀
Should also have said that Vladimir Senior played for Rapid Vienna against us in those infamous matches back in the 1980’s