Irrespective of the VAR intervention which cost Celtic the points on Sunday, I thought the team was leggy against a brighter-looking Hibs in the opening stages of the contest. I put that down to the fact that Celtic had played 67 hours earlier, whereas Hibs had a full 8 days to prepare.
Chastened with this experience, we prepare to face Stuttgart in a tie that is already decided against us. 64 hours later (unless there is extra time, erm….) we kick-off at Ibrox.
Play Luke McCowan, James Forrest, Colby Donovan and Reo (who are unlikely to start on Sunday). Let’s see how Viljami Sinisalo holds up to what will inevitably be a harsh experience. Let Auston Trusty show Dane Murray how it’s done. I don’t really care if we endure another 7-1 loss, as we did in Germany last season. It is more important what happens in Glasgow on Sunday. Tonight will be a sore experience, whoever Martin plays, but it will be a distant memory if we win three days later.
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MON cares if we get beat 7-1, he said the team will give it a go, so as near as full strength team is what I see, as tonight is the next game then that will be the focus.
Hmmmm…
https://youtu.be/tb8iH3F28LA?si=FrasNBOv5CF3D_qj
And on to Sunday’s task in hand!
Unlike P67, I do care if we get humped 7-1 tonight. No matter what team we put out, such a result can do plenty of damage to any confidence we have as a team.
In saying that, Sunday is far too important a match to simply ignore, and tonight’s line up should bear suitable consideration.
With Trusty missing on Sunday (and subsequent two league games), MON must have an idea of his intended alternate CH partnership, be it Scales/Murray or Scales/Arthur (are there any other options?). With Arthur not in EL squad (I believe) I’d give Murray at least 45 mins tonight.
With Aruajo not travelling, MON should give the RB slot to his preferred backup. Whoever starts at LB on Sunday could come off the bench for the last 20-30 mins tonight to keep them ticking over.
In midfield, I’d start Hatate, Bernardo and McCowan centrally with Maeda and Yang wide.
Give big Tomas and Adamu 45 mins each.
4-5-1 when out of possession. Yang and Maeda to feed off our striker when going forward.
Use all 5 available subs.
HH
b78
brazil is nothing but a drunk
he knows nothing about current football in england never mind celtic and scotland
hes just a clown out for jollies
to hear his successors gabi and mccoist going on about nights out in ibiza, vegas, missing planes etc
no sport chat just lads boozing sessions
a-holes of the highest order
call me gerry – who will feed off the striker and could the striker hold up the ball – have seen it about 2 or 3 times only
I suppose DessyBhoy, we could treat tonight as the ideal training session to prepare and focus our players for what they are likely to face on Sunday as rangers smell blood and go for the jugular.
Perhaps MON could do worse than setting an objective of keeping a clean sheet tonight and nicking a cheeky winner on the break.
Bodo frequently had all 11 players inside their own box desperately defending their goal, then they looked to play over the top and counter at speed when they got the chance. And we pretty much did the same when we beat Barcelona… twice. So why not?
Nothing that happens tonight will prepare anyone who hasnt experienced a derby at Ibrox, nothing, Sunday will be a game for those with physicality much more than technicality, being deaf for 100minutes might also help.
I’m not saying I agree with MON just surmising what he said
One way Irish Catholic migrants overcame institutional disadvantage was by joining and in time becoming prominent in professions – politics, education, the law etc.
We maybe need to encourage more young guys coming through as referees. It is a very easy thing to do – an SFA course that can be taken online from the age of 17 I think. Then you get pretty good money for a young guy coaching at youth level and work your way up. If we don’t like the Lanarkshire bigots running the show then take their jobs by being better at it.
Was pretty much with you all the way Paul … this time last week.
Bit torn now.
The good posters of CQN have partly persuaded me of the merits of trying to make a fist of it tonight.
Perhaps we could do both?
Give others a game.
Tell them clearly they ain’t the B-List and that their reward will be great.
I’ve been considering parallels between this Euro tie and Ange’s Celtic versus Bodo Glimt.
Ange’s leadership (as opposed to his management or coaching) was marvellous.
He rebuilt our confidence and steadily reinflated our balloon.
Some of the air was let out by that 1-3 home leg defeat to the Norwegians.
We were dreadful that night.
And coming two weeks after we monumentally spanked R2ngers.
Ange clearly wrote off that 2nd leg.
He knew what he’d be judged on … a league title win that, until very recently before, was considered unlikely.
The rest is history.
“Was pretty much with you all the way Paul … this time last week”
Factual error on my part.
This time last week less 7 hours
GlassTwoThirdsFull on 26th February 2026 12:25 pm
Amazing the turnaround. When we lost games under Brendan Rodgers it always seemed to be the manager’s fault…..
*give it a rest about the cheesy grin one ffs some of us know how we feel and others don’t that’s called a democracy, blogs like ties are about matters of opinion and we all have them, on a game day you are highlighting this wtf we have more concerns right now than bringing this up.
Bhoys Town
The only problem with that strategy was highlighted in I think it was Paul Larkins documentary on the Lanarkshire Refs Association.
Once you get to a certain level it costs you money (and quite a lot of it) to jump through the ‘hoops’ to get to the top in Scotland.
It discriminates against those who are not wealthy or as it used to be called… the working class.
Hail Hail
Paul67 et al
No no no….Start with the team Martin & Co consider best suited to giving the Swabians a game for the first forty five, not one with an all seeing eye on Ayebrokes. Which might include Luke and or Colby. Who knows we might get a Bologna style first half? The best prep for Sunday is a half decent performance a couple of hours or so from now. As mentioned before our away form in Europe has not been that bad, disappointing against FC Kairat, but not disastrous in the EL. Every player should be looking forward to taking part, at some point in the game, that’s the whole point isn’t it? No?
GrussGottCSC
For what its worth: Martin O’Neil is a pragmatist and as such I imagine he’ll pick a team for tonight’s game to reflect it’s importance to Desmond, and therefore his league ambitions.
“its”
I’d use tonight to play a tighter formation along the following lines
Kasper
Julian Auston Liam
Colby Calum Reo Marcelo Kieran
Tam. Benji
For Ibrox we drop Kieran into a back 3 replaced by Seb.
Daizen is so far off the pace , I can’t understand how anyone would come in for him in the summer,
There is always hope until there isn’t.
HH
Bhoys Town on 26th February 2026 2:34 pm
One way Irish Catholic migrants overcame institutional disadvantage was by joining and in time becoming prominent in professions – politics, education, the law etc.
We maybe need to encourage more young guys coming through as referees. It is a very easy thing to do – an SFA course that can be taken online from the age of 17 I think. Then you get pretty good money for a young guy coaching at youth level and work your way up. If we don’t like the Lanarkshire bigots running the show then take their jobs by being better at it.
=================================
The irish catholic did overcome via education as you,it took til 2001 for parity.it still needs continually worked at by our young learning and progressing.
The disparities in indices re health,prison population,education( thats if you can find them) are still there today.
Classifying is the problem.Ireland was British til 1921,after that mobility over the border was free by Act o P.
The UK did not treat the irish as immigrants statistically speaking,irish catholic only became an option on the census recently.
We have a political establishment here that has most parties cancered by OO,remember the H.o.C has its lodges for the OO and the goat friendly.
Maybe an idea bout the refs,our malaise currently is nowt to do with them imo.we are weak on n off pitch,if our football was of Celtic srtandard(what you and I know it can be ) refs would be of no concern.
HH
https://x.com/i/status/2026985688340537781
We’ve been up against it in Europe before (Spartak Moscow if memory serves)
Why not another surprising, heroic one tonight?
Need to drop one handed goalie for a start that for me is a major issue and and unbelievable he has been selected given the mamagered made it public must play either Ross or Vini and cannot risk KT or Calmac.
Manager
Sinisalo, Donovan, Murray, Saracchi, Trusty, McGregor, Yang, Adamu, McCowan, Maeda, Hatate.
Subs: Schmeichel, Scales, Ralston, Tierney, Nygren, Tounekti, Bernardo, Cvancara, McArdle, Hatton, Iheanacho, Forrest.
Manager https://x.com/i/status/2027058694748348749
🍀 Celtic team v Stuttgart: Sinisalo, Donovan, Murray, Trusty, Saracchi, McGregor, Hatate, McCowan, Yang, Maeda, Adamu.
Subs: Schmeichel, Scales, Nygren, Cvancara, Tounekti, Bernardo, Forrest, McArdle, Iheanacho, Hatton, Ralston, Tierney.
4-3-3 again, just don’t get it.
live updates up
4,3,3 with hatate and McCowan. This could get embarrassing.
TNT SPORTS 2
SACK THE BOARD
IS THE OPENING CHAT & PHOTOS
TNT SPORTS 2
SACK THE BOARD
IS THE OPENING CHAT & PHOTOS
Make ye fkn greet: “UEFA have named Celtic in the top four most profitable teams in Europe after a record-breaking influx of cash from the Champions League – amid scrutiny of the Parkhead board for their perceived lack of spending.
With the club on the brink of an exit from the Europa League at the hands of Stuttgart, the memories of last season’s European adventure may feel a long time ago for the Parkhead faithful. But just last term, it took a last-gasp equaliser from Alphonso Davies to send Bayern Munich through to the last 16 at the expense of Brendan Rodgers and his men in a 2-1 aggregate win.
The Scottish champions navigated the league phase by finishing in 21st spot to secure a clash with the German giants in their 2024/25 European campaign. And that has significantly bolstered the bank balance in Glasgow’s East End.
The latest Club Finance and Investment Landscape report states the Hoops recorded their highest ever UEFA revenue following last season’s heroics. The €48million (£41million) that came into Celtic Park is up from €37million (£32million) in 2024, when the Glasgow giants were part of the group stage ahead of the competition being revamped.
Could set up with 4-4-2
If Yang plays to the right of McCowan, but not as an out and out winger….
With Maeda and Adamu as a front two….
VFB stadium unrecognisable from 20 odd years ago MON confirmed to compared to some old faces and not much if at all has changed at Celtic Park.
A clean sheet is all I need from this at 0-1.
In itself a moral victory if we can hold out.
Will be difficult to hold out but well done so far.