Last month Efe Ambrose and Saidy Janko played in what will be some of the biggest games of our season. It didn’t go well. Saidy has since moved out on loan, while Efe is behind Toure, Sviatchenko, Simunovic, O’Connell, Boyata and (maybe) Lustig for a place in central defence.
From that list, Simunovic and Boyata are unlikely to be ready for the Camp Nou, but O’Connell will be no less prepared than John Kennedy was 12 years ago when he deputised for suspended Bobo Balde at the same location. Central defence has gone from being our weakest department to our strongest in a matter of weeks.
My expectation is that Brendan will play Toure, Sviatchenko and Lustig as a back three, with Kieran Tierney and Cristian Gamboa as full backs. That will be a leap of faith for Cristian, who, only five days from Barcelona, has yet to even train with the club. He’ll arrive in Glasgow today after last night’s national team game in Costa Rica.
Despite this schedule, we should look to give Cristian some game time on Saturday, I’d be reluctant to throw him into the Camp Nou cold. This would allow us to rest Mikael Lustig, who played for Sweden on Tuesday, and who will need to be at the top of his game for Barcelona.
Another player who could do with a rest on Saturday is Tom Rogic. Tom has played in Australia and the UAE since we last saw him, eclipsing whatever jetlag Cristian will go through. I’m not sure Brendan will see it the same way, as an offensive midfielder like Tom may be sacrificed for a more defensive player at the Camp Nou. We’ll touch on how to attack later.
I watched Israel-Italy on Monday. Nir Bitton did well against a superior team; it was a good run-through for the Champions League, as he will be asked to play a similar, tactically disciplined, role for Celtic. As the game was Monday, I don’t think he’ll need a rest at the weekend, although we should perhaps consider giving him around 60 minutes.
Football’s a squad game, let’s remember that this week. It’s been nearly three years since we’ve been to the Camp Nou, these occasions don’t come round often, so we need to prepare properly.
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PROUDBHOY…
Enjoy,i’m sure you will.I’ve just finished reading The Lisbon Lions by Andy Dougan,again.Born in ’71 so too young to have experienced the game or have any memories of it but,as the song says,I just can’t get enough of reading about and watching our greatest day.Have to say i’m a bit jealous as i’ve still to visit Estadio Nacional,hoping to do so with my khids at some point.
Have a great day mhate.
HH
Som mes que,
Aye I’m sure the game kicked off at 0230 cp time Wednesday morning.
As praecepta says, he was an unused subbed.
Since we were linked with him there’s been a poster from Costa Rica posting the odd update about him. Yesterdays game was a dead rubber of sorts as they qualified over the weekend.
Gamboa played the 90 mins in the weekend game and yesterdays game was an experimental side apparently.
Apologies for forgetting the posters name.
Hh
“Last game Griffiths missed we didn’t do too badly with Demebele and Sinclair linking up well.”
Gary,
Yup. And the last game he didn’t play in before that (and we had no Dembele or Sinclair then) the rest done not too shabby either.
HH
Fair point Kingoh lol… HH
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KTF
GEORDIE MUNRO on 8TH SEPTEMBER 2016 1:09 PM
I’ve been off blog since yesterday at work so apologies if it’s been asked…
But seeing as the Celtic View will have hit the doorsteps in the last day or so, what’s their take on the weekends game? Somebody on here must still buy it :)
Tia
HH
_____________________________________
Hardly a mention of it. No mention of any previous meetings. It’s labelled a Glasgow Derby.
FAC the Act
KTF
Seen a few posts on here over the past few months saying our players should be more like Andy Murray.
Hope there aren’t any butterflies on the pitch on Saturday!
vfr800a8 on 8th September 2016 1:46 pm
The big question is, will they play Zombie Nation after the 3rd goal, or the 4th goal, or all the goals…
HH
‘The two teams have not met in the Scottish Premier League for four years, ever since years of financial mismanagement and misdeeds caught up with Rangers and led to their liquidation. The club was dissolved and forced to start again, in the country’s fourth tier.’
At the root of this debate is what happened to Rangers four years ago. When the old club was liquidated, its debts running into hundreds of millions of pounds and its then-owners accused of running an illegal tax avoidance scheme, its place in the Scottish league was taken by a new company: Rangers Sevco.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/09/sports/soccer/scottish-premier-league-rangers-celtic-rivalry.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share NYTimes: In Scottish Premier League, a Most Bitter Rivalry Takes Root Again
thetimreaper on 8th September 2016 1:49 pm
There was a new one from the Daily Mail yesterday. Said they were forced to start again as a new club but are now ready to *rejoin* the top flight!
Something for everyone there!
Hun complains – we said you’re rejoining the top league.
Complaint from anyone else – we said they’re a new club.
HH
Vfr,
Cheers. I kinda thought as much.
If it was an ‘old firm love in’ I’m guessing the blog woulda had more posts from the hawn ringers. ;)
HH
Trad88,
3Rd goal.
Fourth is The Cranberries. Fifth is Jamie T.
:)))
HH
Last post by me was a bit of humour before the mumpers come on accusing me of arrogance ;)
HH
Geordie Munro on 8th September 2016 1:57 pm
Sounds like a plan!
HH
As IE decided not to post my earlier comprehensive contribution, discussing the likely absence of LG on Saturday, here is a more concise precis:
In their last 6 competitive games Celtic have scored 20 goals.
Leigh Griffiths scored four of those. Another six players chipped in with SIXTEEN goals between them.
No LG in the match day line-up. Let them relax at their peril!
Heard this today “Going to the big game on Saturday?” Who is playing? “Some new team playing out of Ibrox” Oh that’ll be “The Glasgow Strangers”!!!! Very accurate I thought. H H Hebcelt
Paul67 et al
Any word on Messi?
messi scores a hat trick and we win 4-3
One thing I did not like about Ronny was his rotation of the team.
Not that certain players were not always in the team when fit but he did mess with the line up too often for me.
Play your strongest settled 11 Brendan for every game please, our squad is big and good enough to cope with injuries and suspensions and maybe we might just benefit from the odd fringe player getting a game and taking his chance.
Set the Craicken big Cifcti loose on Saturday. The Huns won’t know what’s happening to them
Proudbhoy
Used to love this place when I was in Lisboa.
Only served beer in ‘giraffas’, 1 litre glasses.
Had a ‘cerveja preta’ too, a dark beer.
And the food was great!
Probably changed a bit over that amount of years, right enough.
https://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Portugal/Distrito_de_Lisboa/Lisbon-286122/Restaurants-Lisbon-Cervejaria_da_Trindade-BR-1.html
Gordon
Gamboa
O’Connell
Simunovic
Izzy
Forrest
Christie
Ajer
McGregor
Henderson
Cifti
Possible none of those players will feature on Sat. They would win by 3.
Relax
Celtic Mac on 8th September 2016 2:04 pm
Paul67 et al
Any word on Messi?
———-
I think they’re still waiting for Dave King to find his warchest:-)
Hebcelt
Hope you are coping mate,
Hail Hail
timbhoy3 on 8th September 2016 2:09 pm
Set the Craicken big Cifcti loose on Saturday. The Huns won’t know what’s happening to them
I can honestly say I think that’s the 1st time I’ve ever heard that suggested.
glasstwothirdsfull
Seem to remember the old club signing (the old) Ronaldo a few years back.
http://celtsarehere.com/injury-update-leigh-griffiths/
Griff update.
BT yeah going well, won’t make Sat afraid. Should be down for the CL game on the 28th,regards to everybody. Hail Hail Hebcelt
hebcelt…
BT informed me at the Beer game… thought with you and hope all ok.
s
Why can money for transfers not be called a ‘peacechest’?
SICKOFWARcsc
GRIFFITHS NOT RULED OUT
Rodgers admits striker Leigh Griffiths – who sat out training this morning – is still trying to shake off a hamstring injury but is not ruling him out of Saturday’s game.
Rodgers said: “Leigh wasn’t able to go away with the national team as he’d suffered a bit in the last home game.
“Had a week’s rest, trained with us this week. Today was a light day so there was no need to risk him.
“He had a scan and we’ll see how that is over the next 24 hours.”
EPFL statement
The EPFL Board of Directors is meeting today in Amsterdam to discuss the outcome of the reform of UEFA Club Competitions.
The European Leagues believe the way this process has been conducted by UEFA to be unacceptable for an organisation that claims to be the governing body of football in Europe. A major change in European football has been announced without the support and consensus of the organisers of domestic league football in Europe. This decision will have a detrimental impact on domestic competitions and will lead to an exponential growth in the financial and sporting gap between the biggest clubs in Europe and all the others.
As a result of the decision taken by UEFA, the EPFL believes that UEFA has breached the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations.
In the event that the EPFL were to terminate the MoU as a result of such breach, this would give all European Leagues total freedom to schedule their matches as they see fit – including on the same days and at the same kick-off times as UEFA Club Competitions.
Finally, the EPFL calls on the new UEFA President, to be elected next week, to reconsider the reform relating to UEFA Club Competitions. The European Leagues stand ready to meet the new UEFA President to discuss these matters.
The EPFL will further clarify its position during a press conference that shall take place at 15:30hs in Amsterdam.
The EPFL Board of Directors’ meeting was attended by the following Leagues:
Ryanair flights from Glasgow….
Lisbon will commence on Sunday 26th March 2017 and will fly twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays – on sale now!
BABASONICOS71 on 8th September 2016 3:06 pm
Why can money for transfers not be called a ‘peacechest’?
SICKOFWARcsc
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I keep my pieces in a lunchbox. Which is a level up from a biscuit tin…
Are YOU Brendan, apparently I am too!
http://etims.net/?p=9743
Desertbhoy thanks for that. H H Hebcelt
Dinny worry we urnae a wan man team!!!