There is something inherently unfair about a knock-out cup game without visiting fans. There is something inherently unfair about three Celtic goals being chopped-off in two games when VAR was unable to confirm one way or another. However, this is the burden we carry.
Celtic were good enough to win both those away games despite an inadequate VAR, they now have to go to Ibrox and do the same without a single Celtic fan in attendance. I believe this is more than possible.
The possibility of extra-time will complicate Martin O’Neill’s gameplan. Tierney, Hogh, Forrest and Sorensen will not be asked to play 90 minutes, while Martin will almost certainly want to refresh the wingers, whoever starts there. There is little room for tactical changes and little for those still working towards match fitness to start.
For me, Sunday’s game is all about pressure and how it is handled. Celtic players appeared over-keen on Wednesday, diving into low-percentage challenges. It will be easy to get pumped up at Ibrox and fall into this trap.
Pressure falls on both sides, though. Five points ahead of their city rivals and with European competition, defeat on Sunday would be a bump on the road for Celtic. It is unthinkable for Newco to have no European football, be so far behind Celtic and go out to them in the League Cup at home. Try focussing that bundle of anxiety.
Who controls their emotions best wins the game. Win your personal battles, avoid red cards and the better team has a good chance of proceeding.
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The league cup has always been a very distant 4th in my priorities for the season.
The games coming up against Ferencvaros, Benfica and Celta are of far greater importance than a league cup quarter final.
Our match against them next weekend presents us with an opportunity to move 8 points clear of them in league and again, is of far greater consequence than this weekend.
So with that in mind, I think the pressure of this weekend is firmly on the huns. We’ve a lot more to play for this season, they do not. Which is why, imo, they’ve effectively banned our support – they know this is their best opportunity for a trophy this season and our giving themselves every advantage.
Given their season is on the line, they’ve 100% of the stadium behind them, it’ll be a 50/50 tie for me.
Whichever way it goes, we need to refocus quickly and move on to bigger objectives. Here’s hoping we can knock them out of their third competition in 4 weeks.
From prev article B78 talking about Ox over Benji to start…
Yeh I’d have no issue with that, esp with calm and composure to the fore, I think that’s an Ox strength.
Not sure how their mids are stacked but, as ever, these games seem to come down to attitude and fight as much as finesse.
I hope we do not get muscled out of the stride we look capable of mibby getting into one of these days.
We also have a manager who knows a thing or two about dealing with the pressure of this fixture, McKloppnes slightly less so.
Lots of new players playing on both sides, a stadium full of baying orcs can work both ways for the home team.
I’d go with Calmac-Ox-Baur behind Forrest-Hogh-Duran. That’s six keep-ball merchants and cover left, right and centre when out of possession.
Tounekti and Hassan provide no cover for the fullbacks, while Nygren doesn’t figure without the ball. You could start one of them, but does the upside outweigh the shortcoming?
Starting all 3 is a ‘brave’ approach…
How much will Celtic receive from playing this game? if they still owe us for the semi final I think they won’t pay out.
Like any game win the midfield and it gives you the platform to win, need legs and strength in there so I would not play Nygren as a midfielder they will be ready to kick lumps out of us.
Hitching on to the old firm and complaining about unfairness seems a bit odd!
Who is on VAR? Chances are we will be on the receiving end of 1 or 2 dodgy decisions; mind you, that may well be compounded by whoever is the linesman.
…………..Johnstone…………..
Donovan.. CCV.. Trusty.. Tierney/Scales
Nygren.. McGregor.. Baur
Hassan…. Hogh…. Duran
The huns ‘bundle of anxiety’ is such that they have engineered the no away fans situation to give themselves an unfair and unsporting advantage . McInness pleading on tv for the their fans to get behind the team because he is in terror of the opposite happening and of what a Celtic win might do for his job .
Plenty reasons for our motivation right there .
“Who controls their emotions best wins the game”.
I agree………..to a point.
I prefer who best controls their emotions and the midfield wins the game.
We are consistently steamrolled/outnumbered/outfought (call it what you will) in the middle-ninth of the pitch when we play against them.
Have McGregor and Ox sitting in there and leave it to our 4 best attacking players to go at their shaky defence and win the game.
I’d stick with Sinisalo for his experience of the bigotdome (and for how well he knows his backline).
Redtops claiming Baur out of training.
Callum, Benji and the Ox ?
Or reinstatement for Luke ?
I think the team that scores more goals will win
We are 100% domestically this sesson.
7 wins from 7.
18 – 3 in goals.
We have goalscorers.
Keep it up.
An Dun – agree with your 4th of 4 League Cup priority.
My only “but”
Don’t give them even a sliver of momentum.
Defeat them on Sunday and they are out of their third competition of the season.
Defeat them again next Sunday?
They are out of their fourth.
McKlopness :-))) ta C40
HH
Pat Nevin has apologised after the BBC found that he had breached editorial standards with his comments during Celtic’s dramatic title decider against Hearts on the final day of last season.
BBC then state….
“The scenes at the end of the match were chaotic, and Mr Nevin and his co-commentators were trying to give listeners an impression of events as they unfolded, with no opportunity for verification before speaking.
“Mr Nevin subsequently acknowledged that he should not have stated definitively that the Hearts captain had been punched by Celtic fans”
Baws booted…..
I see Pat Nevin has apologised for lying
As has been mentioned for months on here, no Hearts players were ‘punched’ at the end of the final league game
Wonder why he chose to lie. Wonder why his apology took so long.
Paul 67,
There is something inherently unfair about three Celtic goals being chopped-off in two games when VAR was unable to confirm one way or another.
———-
So what is the purpose of VAR ?
HH
Wonder why he chose to lie. Wonder why his apology took so long.
—
the apology was forced on him once the complaint was upheld.
he would have had no intention of apologising otherwise.
he would have been doing it through gritted teeth.
rat.
Who would win in a fight between Pat Nevin and Pat Bonner.
Who would win in a fight between Pat Nevin and Pat Bonner.
—
bonnar would try to punch nevin but miss him.
nevin would claim he had been punched anyway.
so bonnar would win on points.
“An Dún on 11th September 2026 12:05 pm
The games coming up against Ferencvaros, Benfica and Celta are of far greater importance than a league cup quarter final.”
Financially and prestige-wise I agree but, from a purely personal and emotional perspective, I get more pleasure from beating The Huns than I do from winning a European game.
If you read that ‘apology’ its obvious how much a Brahim Hemdani he is…..”one of the many hundred fans”, ” i thought i saw a punch thrown”…..
No need to mention how many fans and he says one punch yet spoke of more than one player being assaulted. Some punch that must have been.
Another in a long line of clowns we have to put up with on our radio and TV.
There’s a great clip on YouTube of the difference in commentary between Conor McNamara (Nevins co-host that day BBC 5L) and Liam McLeod on BBC Scotland. Wee Liam definitely not feeling the passion and drama. I’ll try and find it……
Ha!
An apology on the eve (ish) of when Celtic play the huns.
If ever there was a time to bury bad news and sweep a story under the carpet.
Apols, apparently it was Paul Mitchell not Liam McLeod but the difference in commentary still holds…..
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/deE04dqGIso
Prestonpans Bhoy
“with no opportunity for verification before speaking.”
Bollocks.
You need verification for something a third party claims.
You don’t need verification for something you claim to have seen with your own eyes.
Nevin alleged to have seen criminal assaults with his own eyes when he had done no such thing.
Should be sacked – no question.
” the long wait is over on 11th September 2026 2:31 pm
You don’t need verification for something you claim to have seen with your own eyes.”
Excellent point….and fairly typical that that simple fact has been ignored by
the BBC ?
On Paul’s leader – it’s been clear for decades that no-one turns on their own more quickly or more viciously than the “Loyal” , so I’m far from convinced it’s going to help them as much as they think.
Look at the Covid season – their only league win in the last 15 and it came about when there were none of their fans in their ground to transmit their own anxiety onto the players.
But don’t just take my word on the whole issue – here’s Richard Gough from 2021:-
“I played in the game in ’94 when their fans were locked out and you know what, it didn’t help us.”
If it backfires on them and they do get restless ( if they do McInnes will be paralysed with fear ), then it would make any win all the sweeter.
HOT SMOKED on 11TH SEPTEMBER 2026 2:36 PM
Worse than ignored on one view.
If they’d simply said he just got it wrong it would be hard to argue.
In trying , tortuously and with shameless sophistry , to invent an excuse they’ve made it far worse.
Whatever it is, it is absolutely typical , as you say, of the BBC.
I’m not vindictive by nature but will make an exception in the case of Nevin.
The club should ban him from the ground.
I wonder if Celtic could take things further with Nevin, in so far as he is now saying he thought he saw a punch being thrown, while I believe he actually said during the game that more than 1 Hearts player was attacked.
Martin has confirmed that Mika Baur will be available for Sunday’s LC match. If I’m not mistaken that means we have the full squad available for selection. Down to Martin & Co to choose the most effective starting line-up, tactics and formation. From what I’ve seen of our opponents two things have struck me, one, at times they leave themselves with only two at the back, and two they do not ‘appear’ to have a lot of goals about them. Course the hordes might well lift them, (the polis wont) but if we get in front early doors, or even the first half, their support could well work against them. Again not expecting to win but stating the obvious here…..we’ll create chances….take some of them we’ll be in the draw for the semi-final.
It will not surprise me in the slightest if Shortie gives Nevin a gig on Sunday either on the radio or on Sportscene just as a GIRUY to Celtic.
It is a shameless, unaccountable organisation funded by us all.
MON presser:
https://youtu.be/CqxQkRZ9Zps?is=BqVGRnT_rNNVJJUO
The Blogger,
Imo, it’s getting worse. As you say, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Nevin was there in some capacity on Sunday.
The Polis warn Celtic players about their conduct ahead if the Ibrox game!
You couldn’t make this shit up.
Where was Cherki’s warning when he sprayed all the hoops fans with water?
If they can’t be trusted not to riot or throw stuff at our players and staff if we score, surely they shouldn’t be at the game.
🤬🤬🤬
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cz7zrdxj9x0o
No surprise that the bbc have gone with the , Celtic visited by the police, headline.
Not really sure why Martin brought it up . Obviously they have had a word with sevco too but again obviously they don’t mention that .
PCS – it’s a pretty high bar for it to be getting worse.
It seems more of the same to me.
Do you remember when they gave ‘Chief Sportswriter’ of the Daily Record, Jim Traynor, a platform every Saturday to peddle his narratives? The same Jim Traynor who went on to become Sevco’s press officer!
I suppose using tax-payers money to employ EBT recipients who screwed the, er, tax-payer may be a more recent example of their egregious behaviour, but it goes back over decades.