Celtic In Europe 2025/26

We absolutely need to qualify for the CL, so Rodgers absolutely needs backed when it's time to strengthen. I'm really hoping the board are proactive and aren't just hoping we scrape in.

 

Where do we play the final?

 

Money wise we can't really moan. They've also got Tierney and imo he's gonna be on some wage or a rather big sign on fee. That's no like the board of old. I do think they'll spend again, just depends if rodgers will be flexible on targets. He doesn't do second options.

 

I think he's been backed so far, just hope it continues. If we want to progress in Europe and keep the huns in their place we need to keep with the same mindset. I'm quietly confident they will, just need to wait and see

 

I don’t disagree but at the same time with the qualifier being back in again it will be interesting to see if we make our moves earlier.

The last couple of seasons they have waited as we had guaranteed CL football. Where we have spent money we made a £12-15m profit for the 24/25 season in the market, for 23/24 we were £8-9m profit that season. So over the last two years we have made at least £20m of profit. When you add in we spent about £18m on absolute dross in the summer of 2023 window.

This summer will be interesting as I don’t necessarily think trying to hold on to everyone is the best way forward.

 

On the back of Mondays CL draw it now gives us a better indication of who we could face in the playoff.

Of the 5 possible opponents we are now looking at

- Basel
- Sturm Graz
- Winners of Slovan Bratislava vs Kups/Kairat
- winners of Pafos/Macabi Tel Aviv vs Dynamo Kiev
- winners of Shkendija/FCSB v Qarabag

The only tie that even remotely might alter that and still remains in the balance is Noah vs Ferencvaros. If the Hungarians go out I think it’s Basel become seeded and we could play the winners of Noah vs Rijeka/Ludogrets.

 

There is no chance on * eufa would allow us to play maccabi tel aviv. Hopefully Kyiv pump them anyway like

 

See being honest I would rather avoid that circus the game would come with anyway. There was talk of games being behind closed doors or neutral venues etc.

Ideally the winner of the Kups/Kairat vs Slovan Bratislava would be my pick. Especially if it isn’t Kairat and a trip to Kazakhstan.

I think Qarabag are the most likely team to come out the bottom group, which apart from the travel wouldn’t be the worst draw. The only thing is I think the second leg is just before Ibrox so preferably if we got them away first would be good.

 

When does draw take place?

 

4th of August that’s why we won’t now face the likes of Malmo or Lech Poznan as they won’t be seeded but they have been drawn to play Red Star and Copenhagen I think it is in the 3rd round and the playoff draw is made before the 3rd round second leg is played. So if either Malmo or Lech Poznan win those ties they effectively get the seeded teams, seeded position in the playoff round rather than Basel or Sturm Graz getting bumped up.

 

On paper, we shouldn't have any issues.

But knowing how threadbare we are, how under prepared we are and our typical luck, we will make the tie tough regardless.


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Should be beating any of those unseeded teams. No doubt we’ll get Maccabi, that would be quite the feisty tie.

 

Love the usual Scottish / Celtic over confidence in these ties - when you consider our truly shocking qualification record these are very tough games we lose more often than win.

 

Hence the second part of the post.


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At this point I have no clear confidence in us even winning the playoff round. It looks about 50-50 to me right now. An absolute joke that we are so clearly way off where we need to be squad wise and less then a week from the opening game of the season and with such an important European game only a few weeks off as well.

 

Albian Ajeti scoring the goal to knock us out of the CL would be the cherry on top of the steaming pile of * this summer has been

 

When you consider how poor Bratislava were last year, I’d imagine that the possible teams we can get will all be similar level to that, then we really should be qualifying. However, we have * about as usual and are gambling. With the vast amount of money at stake, it’s just total incompetence from the board to be honest. They’ve cost us a fortune over the years using this tactic.

 

What about Palma doing it for Lech Poznan while on loan from us

 

Could really do with avoiding Tel Aviv, we'd no doubt have a fan ban