Young Boys manager Giorgio Contini was appointed last month and is set for his second competitive game in charge of the Swiss champions at Celtic Park tonight. Saturday saw him open his domestic league account with a 0-0 at home to Winterthur, who remain bottom of the table.
They sit alongside our earlier opponents Slovan Bratislava and RB Leipzig as the only clubs yet to collect a point in this season’s Champions League after six games. Domestically, Young Boys have 10 games to overtake at least three clubs above them and close a six point gap to make it into the top half of the table before the league splits. This feels like the end of the golden era, for a club that has won the Swiss title six of the previous seven seasons.
Three years ago we looked forward to a Europa Cup tie against Bodo/Glimt, who like Young Boys, were fresh from a winter break. The anticipated result did not materialise, as the Norwegians contained Celtic, wining home and away. This is a lesson for anyone thinking we only have to turn up and collect the points.
I watched Young Boys last Champions League game, away at Stuttgart. The 5-1 score flattered the home side. Young Boys were level and looked comfortable into the second half when a controversial VAR decision went against them. Every player we face tonight will be better than the majority of those we face in domestic competition. Hard work and patience will be required.
The prize is great. A win will see Celtic secure qualification for the Knockout Round playoff, with the chance to test ourselves further at this level. The win bonus, playoff round payment and an extra home game will bring in over £5m.
Brendan Rodgers is likely to start with the same 11 selected last time out against Kilmarnock. Options off the bench are more limited than in earlier games. We will see Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo and probably Luke McCowan at some point, but with uncertainty over Alex Valle’s future the club, he is less likely to feature.
A packed Celtic Park on a European night has spooked many better teams that Young Boys. The script is written, it just needs us to pull together and get the job done.
101 Comments- Pages:
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Texastim,
Sorry,its their game that I watched in full.It was a very fair reflection of the AME.Yes they, scored ” Worldly”,but that can happen.Thereafter,lucky it was only 5.May be changes tonight,but that game,the defence looked painfully slow through the middle,shockingly slow.
We will see.Could be a whole new team.
Hail Hail.
BSR…..Didn’t Sir Alp Ramsay win the world cup?
Just leaving to start pick-ups – my turn. Please Brendan and players, make it a night to remember.
Think Saturday’s starters will also do so tonight – early goal would be good. Hail Hail.
theBHOYfromU.N.C.L.E on 22nd January 2025 4:36 pm
The Yakin brothers talked their way out of a deal…
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😂😁Very good players. Think we played against them, at least once, with basel. I hope the next few Swiss players I see will be crap. They’ll be decent and very athletic.
Darwin,
Thats very kind of you. As you are doing pick ups.
19.40 hrs opposite the Barras please. Short cut through Barrowfield and drop off at big mad road beside ticket office.
Thanks in advance.
TEUCHTER
👍 The linesman was an Azerbaijani
Big game today….
I watched the Benfica v Barca game yesterday. I was hoping for a Barca win, as Benfica are part of that gang who could squeeze us out of the CL. What a game…! It got me thinking…..
What if we did what Barca did (Fall 2 goals behind, equalize, foul an opponent in our box, get away with it, belt the ball up the park, score the winner)?
Those who didn’t have a heart attack would have been absolutely over the moon – even though the ref could have decided otherwise.
And IF the ref had decided to give a penalty to Benfica, we would probably lost. The fine margin would have been the ref’s call – not the weakness of the manager.
And yet, had that happened, CQN would have been in meltdown about the stupidity, weakness, vanity, etc, etc of our Manager.
An individual game of football has a great many moving parts. Assess the Manager at the end of the season by all means, but support him while he is here.
Cheers,
Weeron.
I see that BBC Sport has highlighted that Celtic have faced the bottom three teams in the CL table.
However, they conveniently ignore the fact that the average position of the opponents we have faced thus far (excluding match 1 as there was no league table at that point), at the commencement of each match, is actually 19th. So our “average opponents” to date have actually been more highly placed than Real Madrid, PSG and Manchester City. 🤷♂️
Teuchter ár lá…..
Cò às a tha thu?
Both sporting and brest losing. Hopefully stays that way. The fun of permutations 😁
What if we did what Barca did (Fall 2 goals behind, equalize, foul an opponent in our box, get away with it, belt the ball up the park, score the winner)?
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but you dont mention that the reason the ball was put into the barca box for the alleged foul to take place was that benfica were given a foul in the barca half (the barca player was also booked) which was probably the worst refereeing decision ever made in the history of the game – probably!
BIGCHIPSUK on 22ND JANUARY 2025 6:01 PM
I see that BBC Sport has highlighted that Celtic have faced the bottom three teams in the CL table.
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Their lead story on the Scotland page, which also featured on the main page on their site was about how bad Idah has been since signing, backed up by loads of stats and five comments from so called Celtic fans at the bottom saying how bad he is.
Absolute hun feckers the lot of them!
Feck them! Win tonight and ram it down their throats.
Mon the hoops! Off to Fitzgerald’s to watch it.
3-1 to the good guys. 😃👍⚽️🍀🇮🇪🏆🍀🇮🇪
Accident near Chapmans Farmeloan Rd
Great result for us so far,Sporting 1-0 down to Leipzig.Unless,SS disagrees,but maybe he is too busy counting empty seats still.
FFS.
Anyone in our vicinity,one,two points ahead,getting beat is great for us.
We have a chance tonight,like Bratislava in the first game to score at least 3 or 4 tonight.Goals for will be crucial,regards placings.
Of course maybe SS will disagree.
CELTIC: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor, Hatate, Engels, McGregor (C), Maeda, Kühn, Kyogo
Subs: Sinisalo, Bain, Scales, Palma, Idah, Valle, Yang, McCowan, Nawrocki, Bernardo, Murray, Ralston
lets all do the huddle on 22nd January 2025 6:34 pm
Jeez there was a lot that I failed to discuss….that game was 90 minutes of madness…:)
Weeron
Was hoping for a quick pint in the Association or Oak bar but London Rd looks hammered 🙄
Nae bother
BOGNORBHOY on 22ND JANUARY 2025 6:46 PM
CELTIC: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor, Hatate, Engels, McGregor (C), Maeda, Kühn, Kyogo
Subs: Sinisalo, Bain, Scales, Palma, Idah, Valle, Yang, McCowan, Nawrocki, Bernardo, Murray, Ralston
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That will do for me! Cannot afford to give possession away cheaply tonight, as this lot will look to hit us on the break.
Couple of early goals, get the stadium rocking and see it through Celtic! 😃👍🍀🇮🇪⚽️🏆🇮🇪🍀
KT on the bench for arsenal
live updates up
PRESTONPANS BHOYS, you can always get a pint in the Belvedere Bowling Club. On London Road, sakes side and Closer to the park.
T
In November 1887 Brother Walfrid read the runes and the stars aligned…..Celtic was born
The stars are not but the Planets are aligned, ( and for the next few days), Venus & Saturn visible in the SW, close to Moon, Jupiter and Mars also visible, with Uranus and Neptune faint but out there. Moon will rise and join them early morning, in, I think, a waxing crescent. Can only mean one thing…..a victory for Celtic FC
!!BADA BING!! on 22ND JANUARY 2025 4:17 PM
Swiss Tony Ralston
“Playing right back is very much like making love to a beautiful woman…”