Aims to ‘make an impact’ on the Europa League crystalise at Celtic Park with the visit of Portuguese side Sporting Braga this evening. The performance and result in Belgrade on match day 1 was encouraging, but only a win tonight will maintain the same momentum.
Brendan Rodgers has decisions to make about the forward line. Kelechi Iheanacho was left out of last week’s starting line-up against Red Star, but was pivotal in the pick-up in Celtic’s fortunes when he came on at the break. Having played 66 minutes on Saturday, you have to expect the Nigerian will get the nod tonight.
That leaves us the question of what to do about Daizen Maeda. Sebastian Tounekti will surely start on the left, leaving Daizen a consideration on the right, alongside James Forrest, Yang and Michel-Ange Balikwisha. My hunch is Daizen will start.
The main worry in the middle of the park is the fitness of Reo Hatate, who missed out at the weekend. Ignore anything detrimental you read about Reo’s form, he remains critical to Celtic’s play. Brendan will surely give him every chance tonight.
Banjamin Nygren was a stand-out in Belgrade and brought raw energy when he came on during the second half against Hibs on Saturday. I expect him to make another pivotal contribution against Braga.
We have fond memories of Gustaf Lagerbielke – Braga’s new central defender. Gus scored the goal that got a Champions League home win monkey off our back against Feyenoord, and can consider himself unfortunate not to see more action in his time at Celtic. His only other European game for Celtic was away at Feyenoord, where he was one of two Celtic players red carded. Let’s hope that vibe is more consistent with his experiences tonight.
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Hello ?
Come on Celtic,go to work💚
I’ve seen the day when i would have been about 5th by now
A decent appraisal/appetite whetter Paulo.
‘Cept, for the life of me I don’t know why Reo gets off so lightly for his on/off application.
Sure he’s a lovely player when he’s on his game.
But if it was Tony R or even Cal, he’d be getting pelters for what seem like – imo – fairly regular so-so-shows.
I hope our mercurial maestro has a Yen to do something spesh tonite (2.45 am Aussie time btw)
We’ve a difficult Europa draw but the more difficult games come down the back 9.
Braga are a difficult opponent but we need to win our home games and pile on the points in the first half of these group stage games.
I suspect they’ll drop back, with Lagerbielke in their team, I don’t see them playing a high line. They successfully nullified Feyenoord last day out so this will be hard fought and tight.
That said, we need to win tonight & next time out against Sturm Graz.
Anything less and we’re toiling given what lies ahead of us, anything less and we may have to pivot our focus firmly towards the domestic competitions given the clear squad constraints BR is working under.
Celtic Mac on 2nd October 2025 12:04 pm
greenpinata
Why didn’t you take the option of the email option?
Tickets sent as an attached file/doc.
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Would have done if given the option.
Got an E mail confirmation the day I booked the ticket. But no attachment.
Ticket office said ticket had been posted out but blamed September weekend. No problem issuing new ticket.
But what about others who can’t travel to the TO before 14.00hrs.?
HH and COYBIG
On the train to dear old Glasgow toon. Meeting a mate for a late lunch, a few beers then off to the game.
‘Will embattled Old Firm make Europa League statement’ asks Shortie.
I’m quietly confident Celtic will but what about being able to pigeon hole us with that omni shambles across the city?
I suppose as far as ‘The Movement’ is concerned, no publicity is bad publicity.
Anyway, a big shout out to the boycotters of section 104. Thanks to you I have a nice seat pretty much on the halfway line😁
3-1 Celtic 👍
Very pleased to hear that fans and exec are meeting to discuss improvement areas for the club.
Hopefully, improved mood can make it’s way onto the pitch this evening.
Not always easy to self reflect, so genuine well done to all involved
Weather in the west looks horrendous tonight. Safe travels to all those attending
Celtic40me @ 11:25 am,
Yes, it was interesting to see the contrast in the team in Belgrade when Kelechi came on – having an experienced target man – centre forward proved a revelation.
Reo had a blip when Ange was leaving and BR came back – yet even when playing well he’s a bit of an enigma and than sometimes translates as picked regardless.
I’m not seeing it that way, but there is little doubt we need more from our midfield.
Hail Hail
QUADROPHENIAN on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 12:06 PM
I posted this on the last thread, I thought it made sense:
“I am a big supporter of him,” said Grant. “The team hasn’t really been on fire so far this season.
“The midfield area has been a little bit off form. I think that has been more down to the forward line. I think they have been playing safer.
“I have seen Hatate passing the ball backwards more times than I have ever done. He looks up; he is looking for movement, and he hasn’t received that.
“I think the quality of the striker always dictates that. The quality of the wide players, and where their runs
greenpinata
The option is there when you buy the tickets online….’Ticketfast’ but not easy to locate on the website, as in easily missed. Needs to be more prominent, ideally at the point of sale/payment.
The ticket office does respond to emails (Tickets@celticfc.co.uk) and will email tickets to you, even after confirmation sent.
Not sure if it operates outside the published office hours though, which are very limited it has to be said.
The new ‘digital’ system does work well, and you are right about the email confirmation is pretty much instant, but the eticket option needs to be clearer. Maybe the Celtic Collective could raise it with the Board?
Or something our supporter liason officer could look into. Think I’ll flag it up with the ticket office today!
Quadrophenian @ 12:06 pm
(2.45 am Aussie time btw)
Is that a late night or early morning
Guess it’s an age thing
Hail Hail
Celtic will be my focus tonight obviously, and my Bets are ON, but as a wee ” Side Interest” I have taken SHAHKTER DONESK to gub Aberdeen tonight at Pittodrie.
Aberdeen – 0 v Shahkter Donesk – 4, is a tasty wee 20/1 with Bet365.
I must have a wee look at the price with other Bookies out of interest ?
HH.
Good summary from An Dun.
If we’re nowhere after 3 games, face the facts and prioritise domestic matters.
CHAIRBHOY on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 12:42 PM
Agreed, the contrast between Belgrade after KI came on and Karat and the first half of Belgrade was pretty stark. It’s a shame Adam Idah couldnt be that guy and the Maeda of the second half of last season seems to have gone missing. We could have had a very different season otherwise. Hopefully the front 3 can settle and Reo can get back to his best
Im not sure I know what you mean about his form when Ange was leaving but I do remember Brendan dropping him when he came in. Sometimes I think Brendan has a bit of a love hate relationship with the Japanese players, he didn’t get anywhere near the best out of Kyogo and never seemed entirely happy with him.
The only consistent thing about Reo is his inconsistency . Flashes of real quality between long spells of meh . Seems to be just the type of player/character he is . If he starts tonight , I hope we see more flashes and less ‘meh’.
Hope Lager has a quiet night too . He might fancy his chances at corners as he has first hand knowledge of how shakily we defend them -)))
I agree that the midfield requires adjustment, we need athleticism in there, who can provide that from the players that we have, Callum always has been a 10 to me, as is Reo,so it would be one or the other for me, let others provide the mobilty and leg work, look for these types in January if we don’t have them. 2 out and out wingers is also a luxury they need to be fit as fleas and willing to graft as well as having the ability to attack wide deep and inside. Not much to ask is it, oh aye and stick the ball in the net as often as possible.
Burnley78 on 2nd October 2025 9:13 am
In fact we might well still have the largest crowd of the 36 games in Europe tonight.
———————-
we wont know for many days after the actual match took place.
it is a minor irritant , but Celtic will publish actual attendance whenever someone gets around to it.
Many clubs will post up their attendance figures during the game, and give a thank you for the support on the big screen.
It is a minor no-comms example where it seems no one is responsible (or indeed makes it a something to be proud of).
Case in point, what was the attendnace against Hibs ?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cp8jeenmqg3t
Heard on Talksport earlier this morning that Erling Haaland on his own has scored as many goals (15) this season as the whole Celtic team. Might include the five he scored for Norway, but top scorer or no, it does show where some of our problems lie. Not that we are not creating chances, even Engels and Kenny could have scored against Hibs, (and Nygren against Red Star) but we are not taking enough of them, hence the number of draws thus far. Not sure the solution will be to leave Maeda on the bench mind. Never realised that Acker Bilk was now at Braga or even if he played last week but given that Brendan did not rate him at all maybe he can fashion a formation and tactics to show he was right about that, and we get a couple of goals at some point.
Celtic40me @ 12:59 pm,
Yes, it’s difficult to gauge what happened to Ange’s team in the final run-in, it could be Reo got caught in the general malaise.
Also, it was thought Ange would take some players to Spurs – that could have been a huge disappointment for some.
Adam Idah will be a mystery guy unless or until he starts to show his full potential.
When he was coming to us (on loan) he had a reputation for a wunderkind gone bad.
The vids of the younger Adam looked great, he had every Centre Forward attribute.
Then when he came in the January thro’ June, my thinking was a bit rusty but a great player there waiting to push on.
He did get vital goals and assists but we needed way more endeavour – taxigate suggested for me that there was more wrong with his application.
Hope he comes good at Swansea…
Yet I often think back to the fact we had seem all that George Best brought to the game by the time he was 25…
Compare that to another Man U No7 legend – Ronaldo, and fifteen years later still an exemplary professional.
It takes a lot more that ability to make an elite modern footballer.
Hail Hail
celtic40me on 2nd October 2025 12:45 pm
QUADROPHENIAN on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 12:06 PM
I posted this on the last thread, I thought it made sense:
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That’s another valid perspective on it, but it’s not just Reo’s creative passing that’s hit or piss, for me. Things like heading, tackling and shooting also seem regularly aff.
———-
Chairbhoy on 2nd October 2025 12:46 pm
Quadrophenian @ 12:06 pm
(2.45 am Aussie time btw)
Is that a late night or early morning
Guess it’s an age thing
——
2.45am is commonly a mid-sleep, wizz call. Sadly.
Hoping we can at east hold out tonight v Braga. HH
Gus is slow so that will be an obvious weak point in their defence, he is also very good in the air so beware at set pieces.
I really hope that Reo is on his game tonight when he plays well so does the team. I have no issue with any wayward passes across the pitch of 30 to 40 metres but wayward passes within 5 metres isn’t good enough. He did that consistently in our away game in Belgrade.
Hopefully, he’s on form and we bag the 3 points!
Celtic Mac @ 1:13 pm,
Kelechi – 191 minutes – 2 goals, 1 assist
Could we give the guy a full game before we condemn him?
You do know how much Ealing Haaland costs?
More than the Celtic team…
Hail Hail
This is Duncan Smillie Celtic Supporters Ltd.
It is on Celtic Underground not Acsom.
I am convinced they know something.
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An Dun
What are these ‘constraints’.
Simple facts are that our squad values more than 22 others in the Europa Cup this season.
If we don’t get to last 16 then we really should ask questions.
Add to that a crowd which will be larger than any other team will have supporting it apart from Roma and a tough but not impossible draw.
Our European Coeff also suggests last 16 level.
Apparently we have a top tier manager also.
Add all this up and it could easily be expected we maybe even reach the quarter finals like our poorer and chaotic glasgow rival did.
After his failure to motivate and manage our team to beat a side like Almaty I would suggest the manager won’t want further humiliation. Losing to a team with 1/12th of the value of squad and blaming the club for not spending is not a good look.
Burnley78 @ 1:49 pm,
Not sure who does your math
But the whole squad cost 54 mn
Hardly a fortune, even in the Europa
Do you know what Ange’s Notts Forrest cost?
They paid that out on one player…
Hail Hail
I am hoping for a clear victory tonight. Braga are an also ran in Portugal and have never won the title. They did beat Feyenoord at home but away is a different matter.
It’s in our own head. If we speed up we could win easily but repeat of last Saturday will result in 0 goals.last 2 nights showed the way on the UCL. Fast breaks lead to goals.
CHAIRBHOY on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 1:17 PM
Celtic40me @ 12:59 pm,
“Yes, it’s difficult to gauge what happened to Ange’s team in the final run-in, it could be Reo got caught in the general malaise.
Its really not difficult at all. We won 24 and drew 2 out of 27 games until The Huns then Ange changed the team for the next three games so we had all sorts of fringe players in the team, including Bernabei, Kobi, Iwata at centre half and Bain chucking one in again Hibs
And Reo coming back from 6 weeks out with a hamstring injury
“Also, it was thought Ange would take some players to Spurs – that could have been a huge disappointment for some.”
You just made that up.
2023/24 – Brendan’s first season back – did show how important Reo was to that team
With him in it we played 18 won 17 and drew 1 game in Scotland
Without him in it we played 26 and failed to win in 9 – 4 losses and 5 draws
chairbhoy@1.24pm
Dont know where you got the impression that I was condemning Kelechi, I never even mentioned him.
No, rather I was pointing out that Celtic as a team, ie collectively are not scoring enough goals to win games, hence the number games drawn, many of which finished 0-0. I have high hopes for Kelechi, and believe if we we get the line-up, formation and tactics right we could get back to somewhere near the goalscoring team we were last season. Hopefully starting tonight.
BURNLEY78 on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 1:49 PM
An Dun
What are these ‘constraints’.
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Read P67’s piece again. Pay particular attention to the options for right winger – 2 of the players listed are left wingers. Another is 34 and the remaining option is not Celtic standard.
Iheanacho is our only viable striker.
The constraints upfront are fairly obvious, Burnley.
Just on Kyogo, BR got a lot more out of him than Rennes or Chris ( done more than put the cones out) Davies is currently getting out of him. No goals and an utter passenger so far.
Celtic despite the advancements in technology and communications just do not have the same quality of ballsy fan based rebels that has been consistently proven since 1994.
The board are perfectly aware of this fact born out of laziness and being spoiled rotten with an endless conveyor belt of one horse environment trophies.
Anyway…..
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AN DÚN on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 2:22 PM
Just on Kyogo, BR got a lot more out of him than Rennes or Chris
Indeed, it looks like swapping him for Jota when we did was a great bit of business, and it was a very poor move for him. A great Celtic player when he was here though.
It does put the chat about a replacement and the number of goals we lost when he left into a bit of perspective. Although we seem to have forgotten about the 30 goals for this season that went when Adam Idah was ushered out the back door.
The wallowing online about the supposed low attendance at tonight’s natch, by so called Celtic fans is quite something. Literally praying for a low attendance and a poor performance. I just cant understand the concept of apaprently enjoying celtic being deliberately weakened.
They could be written by huns
Chay Bowes
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