Seeds struggle but a Celtic win is possible

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Third round seeds could not produce a win between them in last night’s Champions League qualifiers.  While Ajax earned a respectable draw away to POAK, APOEL Nicosia lost at home to Qarabag and Dinamo Zagreb drew at home to Ferencvaros, bottom seed on only 3.5 points.

Dinamo Kiev lost away to Bruges and Copenhagen scored late to secure a draw in Belgrade against Red Star.

Celtic get a chance to put that right in Cluj tonight.  The Romanian champions are four games into their domestic league and have already eliminated two higher seeds: Astana and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, so there should be no surprises for Neil Lennon.

Neil’s selection questions all surround defence.  Jozo Simunovic and Chris Jullien are both available after weekend suspensions, but the biggest concern is over the availability of Hatem Abd Elhamed.  The Israeli retired with a dead leg on Saturday after an impressive first half.

Celtic managed to get the heavy lifting done in the first leg of each of their two previous qualification ties.  I might be getting carried away after Saturday, but a win tonight would help preparations for the playoff round.  Anything seems possible when you play like that.

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  1. WEEBGFC

     

    Your jokes are slightly better than yer auld mhan’s 😂 what’s your prediction for tonight btw ?

  2. prestonpans bhoys on

    I really don’t know how this alleged Tierney transfer could work out. He’s not medically fit in rehab and we are led to believe a club will bid for him!?!

     

    Will they bid say £10m with caveat of a further £15m if he becomes fit, why would a board behave like that and take a risk. Me thinks this whole story is a pile of💩

  3. Wee BGFC at 5.00…here just till tomorrow…are you going for a record red card within 24hrs…good luck, am sure you can do it 😂

     

     

    H.H.

  4. Cosy Corner Bhoy on

    Not been on for a wee bit so well behind.

     

    Well done Wee BGFC on your results!!! And he is musically talented as well 😁

     

    Hope you make the Hoot in September and bring an instrument.

     

    Off to local hotel to watch the Bhoys with the two daughters who have booked a meal also.

     

    Personally I’m just delighted it’s a pub!

  5. THE LURKINTIM…..

     

     

    …….and it get’s grimmer, but a good series.

     

     

    Russians still in denial over number of linked deaths, I believe.

     

     

    Hope you are good!

  6. JJ at 4.44…am sure the operative word I used was young…unless you’re one of his teachers ;-))

     

     

    H.H.

  7. Am getting there Philbhoy thanks. Whats this about you in pain when you laugh…are you ok? I thought Chernobyl would be entertainment, but the truth seldom is when it comes to tragedy.

  8. Weegee BGFC,

     

    Fit like, and welcome to the blog.

     

    Waiting for the Thunder ? 😉

  9. Today’s confirmed starting line up ……

     

    Bain; ElHamed, Simunovic, Ajer, Bolingoli; Brown, McGregor; Forrest, Christie, Morgan, Edouard

     

    Subs: Gordon, Jullien, Hayes, Bitton, Shved, Ntcham , Griffiths

  10. Strong starting 11…strong bench…no MJ tho…hoping that it’s just NFL managing his game time this season

  11. THELURKINTIM

     

     

    Broke my left knee cap last Wednesday in Crete and didny go to the hospital until today!

     

     

    Leg in a splint which is not comfy and waiting on a phone call from the VIRTUAL FRACTURE CLINIC who will let me know my “treatment plan”!

     

     

    Man, it’s all changed since I was a boy!

  12. Good evening CQN from a very hopeful Garngad

     

     

    1- 1 tonight, although I would settle for 3-0 to us😂

     

     

    Officiaaaaaaaaaal – Welcome Wee BGFC

     

     

    COYBIG

     

     

    HH

     

     

    D. :)

  13. I would have swapped Morgan for Mikey J.

     

     

    Although just my preference, I think Morgan will be a fantastic player.

     

     

    D. :)

  14. Tough tie tonight Celts,

     

    A hard nights work ahead

     

    Go to it Celtic

     

    :-))

     

    HH

  15. Philbhoy a broken knee cap – ouch – on your holidays as well.

     

     

    Good luck with that, no jumping up tonight when we score our third.

     

     

    D. :)

  16. THELURKINTIM

     

     

    I was sober when I fell!!

     

     

    I hoped that when the swelling went down my knee would be fine.

     

     

    Stopped taking the painkillers on Tuesday, bliddy Nora!

     

     

    So I’m sitting here with a glass of red…………………so no all bad!

  17. The Battered Bunnet on

    Looks like Mikey’s got dull yin, given he’s not even on the bench.

     

     

    That aside, looks like a pretty strong team, perhaps stronger given Morgan is likely to give more protection to Boli than MJ offers.

  18. Hunderbirds are Gone on

    PHILBHOY

     

    Sorry to hear about your injury. Overdoing the Ouzo or the Retsina?

     

    Joking aside sounds sore and I hope you make a good recovery.

     

    🍀⚽️

  19. HUNDERBIRDS ARE GONE

     

     

    Cheers S!

     

     

    I t was the Raki…………..from the night before!

     

     

    Did you see the whales then?

  20. That bench is an indicator of how strong we are at the moment.

     

    As I know nothing re the standard of Cluj, I won`t make a 0-4 prediction ( Edouard, Forrest, Christie and Griffiths).

     

    oNLYAFOOLWOULDPREDICTARESULTcsc (and only a ham-fisted typist would accidentally hit the Caps lock !!).

     

     

    JJ

  21. I don’t think I’ll need to water the garden today.

     

     

    That rain has been brutal!

  22. The Battered Bunnet on

    Ron, Morgan is left footed, although pretty tidy with his his right too. Lenny has a habit of switching the wingers at various points in any given match, and I’d be surprised if we didn’t see a switch to inversion at some point.

  23. THELURKINTIM on 7TH AUGUST 2019 5:15 PM

     

    Just started watching Chernobyl to take my mind off the game…by god it’s grim

     

     

    ———-

     

    But utterly brilliant. Possibly the best tv series I’ve ever seen.

     

     

    PS the Male scientist is played by the son of Richard Harris. While the apparatchik is played by a Swedish actor who tried to sink Sean Connery in Hunt For Red October….but couldnae cos he was Scottish!

     

     

    HH jg

  24. DAVID66

     

     

    It will be cheering only from me tonight………………a lot, Ihope!

     

     

    Cheers!

  25. Good luck Celtic , keep us in with a shout in the home tie, I hope to see some method and learning tonight from difficult away games in this competition in years gone bye, and, full commitment.

  26. Philbhoy

     

    Hope you’re better soon – had a fall myself a few weeks ago – very lucky only grazes and tooth came through my lip – could have been a lot worse.

     

    Unfortunately didn’t improve my looks 😨

  27. GENE

     

     

    Thanks!

     

     

    Hope you have fully recoevered!

     

     

    I am 70 and got a big fright when I hit the deck!

     

     

    Fortunately both hips intact!

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