Celtic

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media before Celtic host Braga in the Europa League on Thursday.

Here are the key lines from the news conference:

• Rodgers is urging the club's hierarchy and supporter groups to get round a table and sort out their differences "for the longer term" benefit of the club.

• The first home Europa League match, against Braga, will mark the latest fan protest (a 29-minute silence) over how Celtic is being run and Rodgers says that until peace breaks out he'll have to "maximise" what he can get from the players and adds: "My focus is on the performance on the pitch as that's the only thing we can control."

• On the potential of some fans staying away from the game, Rodgers says: "I hope we have a full stadium. I really hope the stadium is full as this is an incredible club with a history based around the supporters."

• After failing to qualify for the Champions League, Rodgers is adamant Celtic are "all in" for the Europa League and "want to go as far as we possibly can".

• He characterises Braga as a talented side technically and tactically: "Good players and a good young manager. Like most Portuguese teams, they'll be 3-4-3 and a good test for us." He did qualify that, though, later by saying he thinks they will play "with a back five".

• Full-back Alistair Johnston is making good progress from injury but is still out while Reo Hatate and Auston Trusty have returned to training. Rodgers says he has a pretty much full-strength squad to choose from.

Image source, SNS

• After his goal against Red Star, Kelechi Iheanacho could become the seventh player to score in both of his first two major European competition appearances for Celtic, and the first since Andreas Thom and Simon Donnelly in 1995.

• Celtic have met Braga twice before in major European competition, losing a Champions League qualifier 4-2 on aggregate in 2010-11.

• Braga have played Scottish opposition on four occasions in the Europa League, losing three times to and beating Rangers once between 2020 and 2022.

• Celtic have lost just one their past eight home games in all European competitions (W4 D3), the last defeat was 2-1 to Bayern Munich in last season's Champions League.

• Braga have failed to win any of their past four away Europa League games (D1 L3), conceding nine goals during that time.

We asked you what you think Celtic's early-season lack of attacking potency is down to.

Here's what some of you said:

Joe: It's the predictable, slow build-up that gives defences time to organise and get bodies back. No pace on the crosses and no one who can score from a free-kick.

Harry: No matter who Celtic sign, Brendan Rodgers will insist on playing them out of position and forcing them to conform to his outdated 4-3-3 formation. Rodgers has stated that "metrics" are the mark of success, rather than winning matches through scoring goals with attacking football.

Patrick: The pressure is too much. Too many safe passes, not enough flair and next to no goals. I would rather see a 4-3 win than more draws.

Kevin: Celtic's defensive deficiencies, particularly the failure to deal with high crosses from free-kicks and corners, have been obvious for the past two seasons, and will be heavily punished in Europe. Rodgers' fixed 4-3-3 formation and square-ball tactics are ruining football as entertainment, and destroying Celtic as a club.

Former Celtic midfielder Peter Grant backs record signing Arne Engels to prove his worth. (Record), external

Ally McCoist, the former Rangers manager and player, urges Celtic to re-ignite the career of Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling, 30. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

Motherwell are going to Celtic Park on Sunday to win, says head coach Jens Berthel Askou. (Record), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Tino
Fan writer

Is it really possible to separate the action on the pitch from the unrest off it at Celtic just now?

Can fans genuinely follow the 'Sack the board, back the team' mantra when the two feel so inseparably linked?

And if protest is your chosen path, what form does it take that both supports the players on the field and shows discontent towards those running the club?

There are no simple answers, which is why many supporters currently find themselves in limbo.

Saturday's draw with Hibs began with 12 minutes of silence - a move that divided opinion - and left many questioning just how effective it really was.

And if that didn't sit well, brace yourself: two more such protests are planned, with 29-minute and 32-minute silences scheduled for this week's games against Braga and Motherwell respectively.

Protest, by its very nature, must be hard to ignore, it must be visible, and it must feel united.

Saturday's action ticked none of those boxes.

If anything, a silent protest may be the easiest to overlook - and was perhaps even the least stressful part of the day for those sitting in the Celtic directors' box.

As for visibility, a handful of posters demanding the removal of club executives, or a banner declaring "Your silence Is deafening" don't yet feel like they're hitting home.

The silence is deafening - we all know that. But what is it we actually want to achieve?

What is the clear, North Star objective that would define success for this movement?

Is it the removal of Michael Nicholson, Chris McKay, Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond? Would one departure suffice, or must all go before fans feel satisfied?

And what about the non-executive directors whose job is to hold the leadership to account? Should they be swept aside too?

Or is the goal simply a meaningful response from the club to the seven-point open letter, published nearly a month ago?

There's so much at play right now but - for the fanbase at least - it all comes back to one word: unity.

Without consensus on a single, shared goal, there's a real danger this campaign could lose momentum before Daizen Maeda makes haste his exit in January.

But how do you achieve that alignment in a fanbase as diverse, as passionate, and global as Celtic's?

Technology should make that easier than ever. In theory, at least.

But in practice, reaching agreement on something that matters so much to so many of us is an entirely different challenge altogether.

And so, the search goes on. For clarity, for visibility, and above all, for unity.

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

Hearts, Dundee United, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Livingston and Motherwell.

Those are the six teams to have scored more Scottish Premiership goals than Celtic by the end of September in the 2025-26 season.

A worrying statistic? Maybe not too much at this early stage, but it is a stark contrast in comparison to their numbers at this time last year.

After six league matches last season, Brendan Rodgers' side were on 20 goals. This term, they are on eight.

Saturday's goalless draw with Hibs, which resulted in the reigning champions dropping to second in the table behind leaders Hearts, already marked the fourth time they have failed to score in a game this campaign.

Across all competitions in the entirety of last term, that happened just five times.

Despite Celtic having the most possession and most touches in the opposition box in the Premiership this season, three teams have had more shots on target.

And Celtic's shooting accuracy of 43% is the second worst in the division.

Rodgers is still trying to find his favoured forward line following the arrivals of Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Sebastian Tounekti and Kelechi Iheanacho, while last campaign's standout performer Daizen Maeda has struggled for form.

Aside from Benjamin Nygren, a summer recruit who has mostly played from midfield this season, no other Celtic player has scored more than once in the league across their six games.

There is also not one forward from Rodgers' squad who features in the Premiership's top 10 for expected goals (xG).

That suggests opportunities are not being created for the attack, despite the Parkhead side failing to score from an xG rating of three in the weekend stalemate with Hibs.

Even though the contest ended in another frustrating goalless draw, Rodgers was "happy" with his team's display but said they "just lacked that killer instinct in the box".

All the evidence from recent campaigns suggests that will eventually come, but supporters will want to see it sooner rather than later with a gruelling winter schedule fast approaching.

Celtic fans, what do you think the lack of attacking potency is down to? Share your thoughts here.

Celtic and Rangers have been offered Pierre Ekwah, with the former Sunderland midfielder claiming to have had his contract cancelled at St Etienne. (Inside Futbol), external

Celtic defender Maik Nawrocki has yet to make his debut for Hannover 96 almost three months after joining the 2. Bundesliga club on loan. (The Herald, subscription required), external

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Celtic slipped into second place in the Scottish Premiership with a goalless draw at home to Hibs, but Uruguay international Marcelo Saracchi still caught my eye.

The reigning champions played well, apart from their cutting edge up front, and the on-loan Boca Juniors left-back more than played his part, especially going forward as he hit the bar.

Image source, SNS

Celtic are "making a worrying habit of drawing games" as they dropped Premiership points for the second time this season.

Brendan Rodgers' side were held to a goalless draw by Hibernian at home on Saturday, which saw them slip to second in the table behind Hearts.

Celtic have drawn five of 11 games this season, four of them goalless, including against Rangers, which The Herald's Stephen McGowan believes could be "some ground for concern".

"After 11 games this season, Celtic have scored 17 goals and have drawn five of those 11 games. A couple of them have been in Europe, obviously against Kairat," Scottish football writer McGowan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"But I think there is genuine concern that the team is regressing a bit.

"It goes back to the other issues about the transfer window and some of the unrest behind the scenes because they're all interlinked.

"There was a feeling that they didn't bring in a top-quality centre forward before signing Kelechi Iheanacho.

"They didn't bring in a right winger, so they still look lopsided.

"There are some ground for concern Celtic, even in terms of their league placing.

"It wasn't the worst performance on Saturday but they're making a slightly worrying habit of drawing games 0-0, because that was the fourth time this season it's happened."

Former Celtic striker Cillian Sheridan agrees that Rodgers' men have struggled to move out of first gear in the opening matches of this season, but believes things are improving.

"Celtic probably created more chances on Saturday than they have in previous games, it's just down to finishing," he said.

"If Celtic had won or if they'd converted a lot of the chances, it could have been 3-0 or 4-0 and suddenly Celtic are back again and suddenly it's a different story.

"It's tough one where all the chat is still about the board and protests are going on.

"On the pitch they are starting to get back to what they used to be at, probably the first six months of last season."

Watch Sportscene analysis of Celtic's 0-0 draw at home to Hibernian.

Luke McCowan believes Celtic won't have to worry about a title challenge emerging from Hearts provided they take care of their own business. (Daily Mail), external

Watch all the highlights from Celtic's goalless draw at home to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership.

Image source, SNS

Captain Callum McGregor was impressed by Celtic's attacking display on Saturday despite being held to a goalless draw by Hibernian.

Brendan Rodgers' side hit the bar twice, through Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi, and had 24 efforts at goal, six of them on target.

Despite dropping two points behind Hearts in the Premiership table after Saturday's games, McGregor is optimistic about the display.

"If we play like that on Thursday night then I'm pretty sure we'll win the game," the midfielder said of Celtic's upcoming Europa League game against Braga.

"We've been looking for rhythm and searching for that rhythm. I think that was probably as good as it's been in that football sense. We created a lot of chances.

"So like I said, if the team are then progressing through the ranks and through the pitch like that then, if we can play like that on Thursday night, I'm pretty sure we'll have a good chance of winning.

"That was probably as slick as we've been, right the way through the pitch, creating massive amounts of really good chances.

"On that type of performance, then the goals will come, that will start to drip in our favour."

The Celtic supporters carried out a silent protest for the first 12 minutes of Saturday's game and the Celtic Fans Collective are planning a 29-minute silence during Thursday's game against Braga to mark the number of days which will have elapsed since an open letter from supporters groups called for answers from the club.

"To be honest, when the game starts the players don't really notice too much," McGregor added.

"You're thinking about the game and where you should be and all these things.

"Obviously after that you hear a little bit and you think, right, now the atmosphere is there.

"The job of the team is to try and get the crowd going as quickly as possible. So if we start the game well then hopefully the whole thing will come to life again.

"It's now on the team to produce performances that make everyone happy. So that doesn't change."

We asked for your views on Celtic's 0-0 draw against Hibernian.

Here's what some of you said:

Grantos: We created some good chances but otherwise it was a bit passy and boring. Arne Engels needs to do more and seek to take control and command the game. It was disappointing.

Maire: It was okay. Not terrible, and a bit unlucky with a few chances. Sometimes you draw 0-0, that's football isn't it? Complete overreaction from some in the stadium. We'll be fine.

Brian: The team lacked the killer touch and there was a complete lack of atmosphere at the ground. It cannot continue. The team need the support. We need a full house on Thursday, but it's already the word that isn't going to be the case.

John: Let's be honest it's a bad result. We are slowly getting to our best but it's not happening because we are not scoring goals.

James: Very poor performance, the amount of possession and we struggled to create any real scoring chances. Going to be a long season at this rate. Daizen Maeda is not interested no, we've lost creativity in midfield and don't start on the defending. We should have gone for Lawrence Shankland last season, he knows how to score in the Premiership which our strikers seem to have forgotten. Fair play to Hearts, Tynecastle in a month will define our season.

Davie: That's the best we have played so far this season. Sebastian Tounekti looks like a very good addition and Kelechi Iheanacho does what Adam Idah couldn't, he holds the ball up well. We are starting to get more balls in the box now which is good to see although Engels still looks miles off it, especially dead balls. Maeda on the right worked quite well so all in all I think we are maybe getting there.

Image source, SNS

Celtic captain Callum McGregor plays down Hearts' promising start to the season after the Tynecastle side moved two points above the defending champions at the top of the Premiership, saying: "Anyone can get off to a good start. Aberdeen did it last year." (Record), external

McGregor suggests the table will be more relevant after 36 games rather than six. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external

Roma could face Celtic in the Europa League in Glasgow without travelling supporters following crowd trouble in the Italian club's recent win in Nice. (Sun), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

Celtic dropped Scottish Premiership points for the second time this season - and slipped to second place in the table - as they were held to a stalemate by a stuffy Hibernian.

Read the full match report here

Have your say on the game via this link

Image source, SNS

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: "I was happy with the performance.

"I think every metric in the game we were dominant. I thought today our football was really good, we went through the pitch well but we just lacked that killer instinct in the box. But I also think they defended the box really well so we need to credit Hibs for that.

"We had good chances, I don't think there's any doubt about that. When the ball broke through we counter-pressed really well and we dealt well with the set pieces but it was just that final touch in the box we were lacking. We just couldn't find the back of the net and when we did it was offside.

"The players are gaining confidence. I thought Marcelo [Saracchi] was excellent and played the ball really well, Sebastian [Tounekti] is excellent in 1v1s. I can't complain performance wise it was just that little bit in the final third that was lacking. We'll take the positives from the performance into Thursday.

"My focus is on the group of players that are here who are full of endeavour. Whatever we did or didn't get is irrelevant now. We have to make the most of the players that are here and like I said I thought performance wise it was really good today we just couldn't score.

"It's a long season. It's very, very early but we want to win every game we play and that's the nature of being at Celtic. I think the supporters can see today that the team did everything and you've got to give credit to the opposition who defended for their lives and kept the clean sheet."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Celtic striker Kelechi Iheanacho says he "can't wait to be a champion" with the club.

The 28-year-old joined the Scottish Premiership leaders and title holders at the start of the month after he came to an agreement with Sevilla to terminate his deal on deadline day.

In his first three appearances for Celtic, the striker has already scored two vital goals.

"Personally, obviously, as a striker, I want to score goals, I want to help the team to achieve great things this season, to win trophies and go far in the European competitions as well," he said.

"Obviously, Celtic is the kind of team that win trophies, so I'm happy being here. I can't wait to win trophies with them, hopefully, we can achieve those this season, I can't wait to be a champion with them."

His move to Celtic reunites him with Brendan Rodgers, who was his manager at Leicester City.

Iheanacho added: "I have very good communication with him, both on the pitch and outside the pitch. He's a great manager and he has a great personality as well, in terms of how to manage players as well.

"Obviously, I've been with him in Leicester, and uniting with him here is a very good opportunity for me as well, so hopefully we'll see how it goes."

Iheanacho scored Celtic's goal in Wednesday's 1-1 draw away to Red Star Belgrade.

"I'm happy playing at the European level again," he said. "I'm happy scoring in Europe and hopefully many more to come. I'm really excited.

"I always have a feeling that I was going to get back to European football. It's just for me to work my way up there and just believe that I'd get back there.

"I have a good impression about the Scottish league, I've been following it for a long time, so it's a great, great league."

Image source, SNS

Celtic forward Kelechi Iheanacho aims to better his 19-goal haul at Leicester City in season 2020-21. (Sun), external

Iheanacho, 28, believes Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers can help him recapture his best form. (Herald - subscription required), external

Hibernian midfielder Jamie McGrath aims to get close to Celtic captain Callum McGregor when the sides meet on Saturday but admits it's "easier said than done". (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip