Euros, preseason and muscle atrophy

It’s all a bit cart before the horse announcing preseason fixtures without a manager or confirmed backroom team.  Plans need to be in place, though, for the Champions League qualifiers, which for Celtic, start on either 20 or 21 July against Rapid Vienna, Galatasaray or Midtjyland.

That date is a few days after the game against Preston and before the West Ham meeting.  The early graft will be done in three games on 7, 10 and 14 July at a training camp in Wales, with games against Charlton, Bristol City and TBC FC.  With a significant portion of the current squad involved in the Euros, preseason fitness should start higher than the normal baseline.

The Euros group stage ends on 23 June, a month before Champions League duty.  As we are forever saying, muscles maintain their strength for three weeks before measurable atrophy sets in, so we should be in good condition for that opening tie.  If we have a manager by then, of course!