'Nygren's got something'published at 19:28 British Summer Time 20 August
19:28 BST 20 August
Celtic v Kairat (20:00)
Pat Bonner Former Celtic goalkeeper on BBC Sportsound
I'm not surprised Rodgers has gone with that team. I was impressed with Nygren against Aberdeen, he's got something in the middle of the pitch.
Reo Hatate was always going to come back in because he's a superb player and European football suits him.
The back four picks itself and Adam Idah might, like he did in the last European campaign, find his goalscoring form. He needs to get his confidence up now.
Hatate the main man for Celtic?published at 19:25 British Summer Time 20 August
19:25 BST 20 August
Celtic v Kairat (20:00)
Kheredine Idessane BBC Scotland at Celtic Park
One player who looks bang at it so far this season is midfielder Reo Hatate.
Cracked in a beauty up at Pittodrie the other week and seems to have hit the ground running at the start of this term, having been injured for the end of last.
His creativity was sorely missed in the Scottish Cup final defeat to Aberdeen, and it could unlock the riches of the Champions League if he can provide some trademark assists in this play-off.
What did Rodgers say about Vardy reports?published at 19:20 British Summer Time 20 August
19:20 BST 20 August
Celtic v Kairat (20:00)
Jamie Vardy has been linked with a move to Celtic in recent days.
That meant the media threw the former England striker's name at Brendan Rodgers yesterday.
Predictably, the Celtic boss didn't give away much.
"Listen, I would not speak about any individual player," said Rodgers, who coached the veteran forward at Leicester for four years.
"Of course I worked really well with Jamie - he was brilliant for me - but there have been so many names floated about. I wouldn't disclose either way."
Who is Kairat's Chelsea-bound teenager?published at 19:14 British Summer Time 20 August
19:14 BST 20 August
Celtic v Kairat (20:00)
Liam McLeod BBC Sport Scotland
Dastan Satpaev. The teenager has a big-money transfer to Stamford Bridge to look forward to but is too young to make that move this year as per Fifa rules.
He celebrated his 17th birthday last week and will head to west London as soon as he turns 18 next August.
Satpaev has 22 goal involvements for Kairat this season, scoring 13 of them himself, including three in their qualifiers.
Despite his 5ft 5in frame, he has a massive future on his hands and is already a full Kazakhstan international.
Belarus' Valeriy Gromyko is another important player and is likely to be involved against Scotland in the upcoming World Cup qualifier in Hungary.
The stakes couldn't be much higherpublished at 19:08 British Summer Time 20 August
19:08 BST 20 August
Celtic v Kairat (20:00)
Kheredine Idessane BBC Scotland at Celtic Park
Image source, SNS
The most important home game of Celtic's season? Almost certainly, yes.
Domestic dominance is one thing, but the club, and for sure the manager, have made no bones about the desire to be properly competitive in Europe.
They ticked that box last season and then some, coming within a minute or so of beating Bayern Munich away.
Since that match in the Allianz, there has been a bit of a drop-off from the Scottish champions, with players leaving and those who stayed hitting a bit of a plateau.
How to kick on again? Qualify for the Champions League, unlock another bounty in excess of £40m and spend the last few days of the transfer window doing the deals Brendan Rodgers had hoped would already be completed by now.
A poor result tonight could scupper all that, hence the importance of this game to Celtic's entire season.
I would expect the current crop of players to hear the Champions League anthem, remember the levels the side reached against Bayern, RB Leipzig and Slovan Bratislava, and give themselves at least a two-goal cushion for next week's arduous trip to Almaty.
A bigger advantage than that may even allow the transfer wheeling and dealing to begin.
Idah starts amid six Celtic changespublished at 19:05 British Summer Time 20 August
19:05 BST 20 August
Celtic v Kairat (20:00)
Brendan Rodgers makes six changes to the Celtic team that started Friday's 4-1 League Cup win over Falkirk.
Kasper Schmeichel is back in goal, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales start at centre-back, Benjamin Nygren is in midfield with Reo Hatate, and Adam Idah is in at centre-forward.
Viljami Sinisalo, Auston Trusty, Dane Murray, Luke McCowan, Arne Engels and Johnny Kenny all drop to the bench.
For the visitors, Chelsea-bound teenager Dastan Satpaev starts.
Celtic's Champions League hopes hang very much in the balance after they were held to a goalless draw in Glasgow by enterprising Kazakh side Kairat.
The £40m bounty now lies at the end of a potentially hazardous road for Brendan Rodgers' side, with the Scottish champions facing a decisive second leg on Tuesday in Almaty, over 3,500 miles and several time zones away near the Chinese border.
The Celtic fans began chanting 'sack the board' midway through the second half, such was their displeasure not only with what they were seeing but with the lack of transfer activity ahead of such a season-defining tie.
And it could have been even worse for Rodgers' men, who watched on with relief as an early Kairat goal was disallowed for offside and then again when Edmilson floated a long-range effort just over the bar after a Cameron Carter-Vickers error.
There was nearly an own goal near the end, too, as Celtic required some desperate last-ditch defending to keep Kairat at bay.
A first half injury to right-back Alastair Johnston - who left on a stretcher with what appeared to be a hamstring injury - seemed to set the tone for a night of frustration.
Celtic only started to look lively when winger Hyun-jun Yang came on at the interval for striker Adam Idah, with Daizen Maeda moved through the middle.
The Japanese striker had the best chance late on but Celtic failed to score at home for the first time in 47 matches.
And it means Kairat leave Glasgow feeling they have every chance to finish the job next week and take a place at the top table of European football.
Celtic analysis: Struggle for width and penetration
It was all too comfortable for Kairat for large chunks of this game.
Celtic tend to play right-sided players on the left and vice-versa. That means, more often than not, Maeda and James Forrest would cut inside to an already congested middle area of the final third.
The Kazakh visitors were very happy about that, apeing a set-up St Mirren used on flag day in the Premiership when only losing late on.
The lack of creativity and intensity in Celtic's display will have been a worry for Rodgers given what is at stake in these Champions League play-offs.
A lot was made of the need to take a cushion to Kazakhstan.
Media caption,
Edmilson comes close to breaking deadlock from halfway line
Celtic didn't really look like scoring in the first period. The half-time team talk did seem to make a difference, as did Yang's introduction, but the increase in intensity and energy didn't equate to the creation of many more chances.
Rodgers has made little secret of his desire for quality reinforcements to compensate for the departures of Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn and Greg Taylor and the long-term injury to Jota.
Celtic supporters agree that more players should have been signed and let the directors know exactly what they think of the inaction.
The club have gambled that there is enough in the current squad to qualify for the Champions League.
Rodgers agreed pre-match but says reinforcements will be needed if his side go further. Now he's faces a perilous journey - in more ways than one - to deliver progression to the competition proper and the accompanying riches that could bring him what he wants.
What they said
Media caption,
'We need to improve the squad' - Rodgers
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "We didn't start with the intent and mentality we wanted to. We were quite passive. We weren't moving as a team as we would like.
"The second half was better; we started well but couldn't find the breakthrough.
"I've been here before, having drawn 0-0 in a qualifier here - against Rosenborg, a very good team. We went there to qualify and we played very well and won. There's no doubt we can go there and win."
Celtic captain Callum McGregor: "The connections weren't quite there to get us through the middle. It's on us to go there and qualify now.
"We've still got another game. We know how much everyone wants it. It's our job to work [through the anxiety in the stadium] and keep playing."
Media caption,
'Celtic fans had a fear this was coming'
What's next for these teams?
Celtic host Livingston in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday (15:00 BST) before embarking on the long journey to Almaty for the return leg on Tuesday.
The city sits fewer than 400 miles from the border with China, so Celtic will be in the air for at least 10 hours and will cross multiple timezones before arriving at their destination.
Pat Bonner
