Success against Kairat Almaty would see Celtic qualify for the group/league stage of the Champions League for the fourth successive season, a feat never before achieved by the club. Before this successful run started in 2022, Celtic did not appear at the top table of European football for four years.
Those seven seasons have had one consistency about them: we get to the Champions League when the Scottish champions are granted a place automatically. When we have been asked to qualify, we found luminaries like AEK Athens, Midtjylland, Ferencvaros, and Cluj too much.
Indeed, the last side Celtic knocked out on their way to qualifying for the CL group stage came from… Kazakhstan. A bizarre 5-0 first leg win (we only had three attempts on target all night) in 2017 against Astana was enough to make the second leg a formality.
I don’t expect the Kazaks to be as generous tonight. They are midseason and have been hardened by three earlier rounds against the Solvenian, Slovakian and Finnish champions. Slovan Bratislava were expected to have enough to see Kairat off in the last round, but a dogged determination to defend a slender 1-0 home leg saw the underdogs prosper.
Resource-wise, this is a no-contest. Transfermarkt have Kairat’s squad value comfortably below that of Aberdeen, Hibs and Hearts and under 10% that of Celtic. They are led by a man with less than a year’s experience in his first managerial role; the comparison with Brendan could hardly be more stark. But still, this is Champions League qualification, and you and I have too many scars to take it lightly.
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From Brendan to Kennedy or Maloney……nurse….
Why would you want to play Idah up front when he is not very good, is it just because of his 9m fee or just because we have no one else
BADA BING – I thought there would have been a few clubs bidding for Maeda this summer. Amazed but delighted that it hasn’t materialised (so far).
I know you thought Brentford would be a possibility but so far, so good.
To work Celtic on this important night
God bless Celtic and all watching
HH
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 20TH AUGUST 2025 4:39 PM
Team I’d like but won’t get
Schmeichel
Johnston, CCV, Scales, KT
Engels, Calmac, Hatate
Nygren, Idah, Maeda
……
I suspect we’ll go with Jamsie to start , he can be a handful against the continental types and Ben will get a shout in the 2nd half
HH
As someone yoused to put on here …
Team sheet
James Forrest
FASSREIFEN on 20TH AUGUST 2025 5:21 PM
“Shortbread seems to be preparing the ground for Russell Martin to be sacked already. Quite a bampot of a club that will never give any manager the time to improve them. Great stuff!”
They are indeed quick off the mark and doing Dodds’ bidding.
He didn’t have a good word to say about Martin last night and was aided and abetted by McIntyre, English and Thomson. Indeed, I’ve never heard a panel of hundits be so negative.
If they can get rid of Martin quickly they must be hopeful about return of Bazbawl.
Team I expect to see…
Schmeichel
AJ
CCV
Trusty or Scales (toss up)
Tierney
Calmac
Hatate
Nygren
Forrest
Idah
Maeda
Personally, if Scales is likely to cover LB after KT comes off, I’d rather he did it fresh off the bench. Thus, I’d start Trusty at CH.
I’d be very, very surprised if Nygren starts out wide. BR has stated that he sees him as a 10, and has only put him out wide after bringing a starting wide man off.
I believe Idah is likely to start due to lack of options out wide preventing Maeda starting through the middle.
I’m hopeful of a good result tonight, though wary that we are capable of struggling against any given team.
HH
Yon Big Bally-Wishy-Washy in to play tappy-tippy to relieve Kieran the winger fae taking the crosses before he pulls his hip oot ae place, like he nearly did the other night when he missed the ball and landed awkwardly…..Michael Stewart said “That must’ve been sore.”
Getting Kieran injured to prove a point to the board is the Tory, sleekit, Timerous, Fearty, way of getting to the point, is it not?
Is there anybody apart from the lone wolves in the Green Brigade at Celtic, who actually speak in a straight line?
In short – Is there any bit of the club left that isny fake as fk?
ffs
the club is even involved in twitter click bait nonsense now.
the official twitter feed just put up ‘Team News’ with a tiny arrrow under it, and the word ‘soon’ written in tiny letters hoping no one can read it so clicks on it.
honestly man.
many will know not to click on it because its too early for the official team line ups.
but really.
if the hun twitter feed done that we would pummell them for being a tin-pot outfit
CELTIC: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney, McGregor (c), Hatate, Nygren, Forrest, Maeda, Idah
Subs: Sinisalo, Simpson-Pusey, Trusty, Yang, McCowan, Yamada, Osmand, Kenny, Engels, Bernardo, Murray, Ralston
Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney, McGregor (c), Hatate, Nygren, Forrest, Maeda, Idah
Subs: Sinisalo, Simpson-Pusey, Trusty, Yang, McCowan, Yamada, Osmand, Kenny, Engels, Bernardo, Murray, Ralston
Have we signed Henrik again, maybe big |Chris as well
kingLUBO
3 centre forwards on the bench.
3 CBs on the bench and Osmand appears from nowhere.
RC
Yes. And?
Cmon Adam ,give us a goal or two
and 1 right back
and no cover at left wing back
irrelevant how many centre forwards are on the bench
either Idah or Maeda were the only 2 players who were in contention for that position tonight.
a more relevant comment might have been if we had 3 wingers on the bench so could have discussed putting maeda at CF and play 1 of those bench wingers in his winger position instead.
THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 20TH AUGUST 2025 6:51 PM
3 CBs on the bench and Osmand appears from nowhere.
————-
It’s the Champions League
Anything over 3 would be good for the audience,but 3-0 would be lovely.
Nervous,best team we could have put out at the moment.C,Mon the Jamesy Bhoy.
live updates up
Who’s place on the bench has been taken by JSP and Osmand?
Oooft, betting guru Tom McLaughlin calls it early doors again..
4-0 to the famous Glasgow Celtic.
Tenner on it.
IntomwetrustCSC
In the circumstances that’s the best 11 we have.
COYBIG