Slovan Bratislava arrive in Kazakhstan today ahead of their Champions League qualifier against Kairat Almaty. Almaty started their campaign four weeks ago, eliminating Slovenian champions Ollimpija 3-1 on aggregate. They then overcame a 2-0 first leg defeat to Finns KuPS to win 3-2 on aggregate.
Those wins are the first Almaty have recorded in European competition since 2021, when they beat Luxembourgers Fola Esch to reach the Conference League group stage (finished with 2 points). We can expect to face Slovan in the playoff round later this month. The second leg is away from home on Tuesday 26th August; we are at Ibrox five days later. Almaty is 200 miles from China and an 11 hour flight time, plus a refuelling stop, away from the UK. Bratislava may suit us better.
Slovan were the fairytale side last season, starting in the Champions League first qualification round and reaching the league stage, having never previously qualified for the group stage. Fairytales do not always have happy endings and Slovan only managed to avoid bottom place on goal difference, having a balance one better than Young Boys. Their 5-1 defeat at Celtic Park will set expectations in Bratislava, even if you and I know this will be a different challenge.
Slovan’s material advantage is that they will have played eight competitive games before facing Celtic. By contrast, we will have played only three (St Mirren, Aberdeen, Falkirk). The difference in fitness eight games into a season from three is substantial.
Compared to what it could have been, this is a gift of a draw, there can be no excuses, but we need to get everything right to progress. We also have the ghost of Bratislava to exorcise.
230 Comments- Pages:
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KevJungle
I read all the words in all your posts and as some wise man told me years ago…..Even if you don’t agree with somebody most of the time you can always get a wee nugget of info that you agree with and is relative to yourself….
Kev II salute your indefatigablity.
But I’ve always wondered this…why instead of citing the £49 ticket prices do you not highlight the allocation that we gave the huns when we came to CP.
It was the same as we gave the liquidated rfc.
I was fekin raging at this and wanted them to have 3k like Hearts or Aberdeen.
Mon the Pilzen
*they came to CP
“Slovan’s reported turnover is £14.3M. kairat’s is £8.7M. Celtic’s is £110”.
So there really shouldn’t be any “excuses” for an elite manager with a superior squad not to qualify?
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM @ 7:00 pm,
Celtic have sold over 110 mn pound in players since Ange left, if you look at the savings account the PLC pocketed that money.
So how would our revenues give us any advantage.
We have lost goals and assists and they have to be replaced.
It’s why businessmen shouldn’t be making football decisions – Maslow’s Hammer.
R2ngers do not have our revenues but spend more on wages and recruitment than we do.
Hail Hail
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full on 5th August 2025 4:34 pm
ONIL – my challenge to you expertly handled.
Totally agree re shareholders….
Can anyone name the time that we played ( a defensive) 2 up front in an away European game with Paul McStay as one of the 2?
Only happened once and not many people get the answer.
Not a trick question
The 2003 final against Porto still hurts but this is shocking news.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cgkrgmer506o
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 5TH AUGUST 2025 4:41 PM
Interesting – the Permaragers will be even more Rabin’ than usual when they hear this from Clement:-
“There was a big difference about everything around the team, even maybe a bigger difference than on the pitch,” he said, when asked about the gap between the Old Firm clubs.
“In preparation, in everything around the club, Celtic is much more organised than Rangers”
B78
I appreciate I’m jumping in on your conversation with someone else ( and I’ve not had time to scroll through it all ) but this did jump out at me:-
“ No wonder even rangers fans are laughing at us.”
You must know very different rangers fans than the ones that I do.
Not one of them that I know has laughed at us in probably the last 14 years , except the Covid affected stopping of 10 in a row.
Genuine question – what about us are they laughing at?
Given we spent almost 2x the supposed revenue of Slovan and 3x the supposed revenue of Almaty on 3 players, it doesn’t take a genius to realise we are far better resourced.
Didn’t realise our turnover was £110m, if we are hoarding a minimum of £70m, that’s 63%.
Remarkable……..
Worst thing about modern football is the transfer window, does nothing but help to inflate transfer fees. Celtic should potition footballs governing body for change. Clearly we have not got a hang of it yet 😄
We need 150 million in the bank incase we dont have 150 million in the bank, its simple economics ffs
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM @ 7:31 pm,
Again, talking as a business man and not a football man.
Celtic PLC have a strategy of selling HVPs and replacing them with development players
This is a business strategy not a football strategy
If Clubs have a strategy of keeping their best players and then adding two or three better players to improve the team they have much more “football bang” for their buck.
If Clubs Board’s are planning to get to the UCL, while ours doesn’t focus on the football club, again a huge advantage.
Sure, Prince Machiavelli might pull out a win, but if the PLC help instead of hinder, it would make for better outcomes.
Hail Hail
The Long Wait is Over , thanks for posting that sad news regarding Jorge Costa, very sad.
Someone honestly just said….and the PLC POCKLED the money….dear o dear…..its maybe the same guy who is the only Celtic fan I know who wants these skint ratbags to win in Europe.
If the huns were playing a team of Aliens next weeki n a game to save planet earth I would honestly have to think about it.
UTR
Might’ve got this wrong because you’re going back a few years now but I think the four teams that knocked us out between 2018 and 2021 accumulated one point out of 72 in the group stages. It’s not like we were losing to good teams.
Chairbhoy
Thanks again for the providing much factual evidence, in the lopsided debate. There’s so little contrary argument which comes close to balancing, let alone winning. Heavily outnumbered on a conservative site?
Occasionally not helped by apparent occasional surfacing of personal loathing, the type of which we seen the morning after the night before, which happened to be Brendan’s video, which for most exposed, the possible impasse. Heaven help us, if supporters were to be very critical, instead of just critical. Even for neutral supporters, in fairness CQN commenters balance is impossible when the transfer window is open full stop, and especially at present when the Kerching barometer is so wildly out of kilter, and the manager has to ‘persuade the board’
The alleged ‘easy draw’ which apparently we’re getting again this year, is just a cliche because the only draw before it was introduced, was in an entirely different criteria and format, it can’t be compared in any way shape or form. It definitely isn’t a consideration for how much money you spend, especially when there is unanimity that the depth of squad, including “ players for now “ is “ light”
It’s not clear what’s going on, at Celtic apart from the ins, outs and £’s, the dearth of rumour, links, even click bait, suggests an impasse, astonishing that he hasn’t had an offer of a contract. I thought we tried to keep Tier One M.O.N’s and Brendan’s. We only have them once in a while because of their heritage? I pray next year we’re not lining up another fall guy and deferring to “ old firm skullduggery “
Must go, I see the National Broadcaster has stepped in with loan for the big game across the city.
MON the Plzen
Hail Hail
Off the top of my head I think Cluj and Midtylland got knocked out before the group stage, AEK got there but lost all their games and Ferncvaros got a draw.
Tonight Matthew …………..I’m going to be a Plzen fan
UVF songs on the banned list?
If the huns were playing a team of Aliens next weeki n a game to save planet earth I would honestly have to think about it.
UTR
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genuine laugh out loud moment –
does the mars csc not run a saucer from the Viking 1 Invaders hotel.
Real pace in counter attack and transition from rangers.
HTF is that a penalty
Halliday looks as if he’s just finished his Amazon shift
https://kickscores.com.ng/2025/08/03/breaking-sheikh-jassim-launches-shocking-bid-to-buy-celtic-fc-vows-to-bring-club-back-to-the-top-of-europe/
I have seen a fitter amateur team than this pizen team..
surely bullshit!
Never a pen and curious why var didn’t check it. Also, when they took Center after the goal, dessers ran to defender and smashed him in the face , hands up. Why no var check? They get decisions in Europe thanks to the Dallas or Masonic affect !
PRESTONPANS BHOYS on 5TH AUGUST 2025 7:32 PM
Didn’t realise our turnover was £110m, if we are hoarding a minimum of £70m, that’s 63%.
Remarkable……..
————
I’m not an accountant and have no experience of Plc level business but I’ve heard it said many times that , for small businesses at least, they should hold at least three months worth of costs for financial stability.
Last year our operating costs were £100m so , applying the formula above, would equate to us holding a minimum of £25m just for financial prudence.
Of course that leaves £45m or , roughly , 4 Engels or 6 Idah’s (at last years prices ). Not a huge sum in today’s transfer market, albeit astronomically more than most of our domestic rivals.
I’m not suggesting that you or anyone else on here is proposing we would do this but I’m surprised at how often some of our fans seem to think that we would ever come close to spending almost of all of our cash reserves on players.
FOURSTONECOPPI on 5TH AUGUST 2025 8:39 PM
Pinch of salt I think.
2 day old report from a website based in Nigeria.
Surprised they haven’t asked for your account details to assist with that once in a lifetime investment opportunity…
the long wait is over on 5th August 2025 8:51 pm
😂
Huns paid Go Ahead Eagles’ asking price for Antman whilst we low balled on the other lad.
Neither would get a game ahead of our bargain basement star from Korea though. Further vindication of the strategy. As if we needed it.
That pen is def soft but I’d be screaming for it.
Utter stupidity to use an elbow to push a striker running away from you.
Looks like the hun tie is over, 3-0 on 51 mins.
Real pace in counter attack and transition from rangers.
Another level from our 10 year old style of play.
Hard to believe how bad this mob are
How on earth did R2ngers manage to bring in Antman and Gassama at this stage of the season ? We’ve been told it’s almost impossible to sign players before the end of the transfer window.In our last 3 competitive games we have scored 3 goals.