Celtic

Tino
Fan writer

On his return to Celtic Park in June 2023, Brendan Rodgers was unequivocal in his determination to make Celtic competitive in Europe once again.

Something that had eluded him despite his trophy-laden first spell at the club.

A win and a draw last season - against Feyenoord and Atletico Madrid respectively - were a step in the right direction, but we again failed to progress to the knockout stage of European football's top tournament.

Fast forward to this season's newly-revamped Champions League and we now find ourselves in the unfamiliar position of being able to cruise into the last game, knowing we'll take our place in the next stage win, lose or draw.

However, what may be seen as a luxury fixture by some will be viewed very differently by the manager, who will relish the opportunity to silence detractors down south by putting on a performance at Villa Park.

That won't be easy against an elite manager in Unai Emery - a winner of no less than four Europe League titles during his time at Sevilla and Villarreal - and his talented pool of Premier League players.

And it's a task that will be even more challenging given the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers (injured), Daizen Maeda (suspended) and the now departed Kyogo Furuhashi - but that in itself provides an opportunity for others to stake a claim and it could be a huge night for the likes of Liam Scales, Yang Hyun-Jun and Adam Idah.

The squad of course has been boosted by the much-hyped return of Portuguese superstar Jota, and though he won't be available for this one, his re-signing is a real show of intent by the club before the knockout stage.

At 25, the ex-Benfica youth is no project player, and should he be joined by another former hero in the experienced Kieran Tierney, 27, this month it would mark a clear sign of ambition by the manager and board.

Should we also add a talented striker to replace the talismanic Kyogo then we can look forward to the next stage as well as the remainder of the domestic campaign with real optimism.

In the bigger picture we now find ourselves with the strange feeling of having not too much to complain about as Celtic fans - and it's one I could see myself getting used to!

Let's hope that feeling remains intact by the time the final whistle blows tonight.

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external

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With Kyogo Furuhashi having left to join Rennes and Daizen Maeda suspended for Celtic's Champions League assignment at Aston Villa, Adam Idah has a massive chance to impress.

Since making his loan from Norwich City permanent in the summer, the 23-year-old striker has struggled to cement a place in Brendan Rodgers' starting line-up.

Idah has netted just eight goals in 32 appearances this season - and is currently on a 14-game run without scoring.

With Rodgers' attacking options depleted, though, the Republic of Ireland international is set to lead the line at Villa Park.

"This is a chance for Idah now," BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English told the Scottish Football Podcast.

"It might be a very limited window, but he needs to take advantage of it.

"He hasn't really hit his stride this season. When he came into the club last January, he scored a lot of important goals.

"When you look at the stats from his first six months in the team, his goals to shots on target was way higher than anybody else. It was way higher than [Hearts striker Lawrence] Shankland's last year, who was player of the year.

"Idah scored Old Firm goals, he scored the winning goal in the cup final. He was scoring important goals.

"This season he hasn't really scored important goals, he hasn't scored as many, and they haven't been as significant. So this is a chance for him now to show what he's got."

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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In simple terms: Celtic have already qualified for the Champions League play-off round and have no realistic chance of finishing in the top eight.

The full version: Celtic would secure an extremely unlikely top-eight finish if they win at Aston Villa AND:

• All 10 sides immediately above them (Leverkusen, Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Brest, Dortmund, Bayern, Real Madrid and Juventus) fail to win (NB. Lille play Feyenoord and Brest play Real Madrid).

• OR 9 of the 10 sides immediately above them all fail to win AND Atalanta lose at Barcelona.

• OR Atletico and AC Milan both lose (with the required goal swing), Atalanta lose and 7 of the 10 sides immediately above Celtic all fail to win.

• Opta put the chances of any of this happening and Celtic finishing in the top eight at just 0.05%.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Paulo Bernardo wants Celtic to head into the Champions League knockout rounds on a high by securing their first win over an English side in almost two decades.

Having already guaranteed a play-off spot, Brendan Rodgers' men complete the league phase at Aston Villa tonight.

Celtic are winless in six meetings with English teams since Shunsuke Nakamura's wonderful free-kick downed Manchester United 1-0 in 2006 to send his side through to the last 16 for the first time.

"We face a top team in England so we are really excited and I think it will be a great match to play and to watch," said Portuguese midfielder Bernardo.

"I think with Celtic we are used to playing with pressure all the games because we have a lot of responsibility to win every game.

"We did very well at this stage and we are really happy with our progress until here. We will try our best to get a great result."

Although recently-returned Jota cannot play at Villa Park, Bernardo admits his signing is an exciting one.

"He is a great player, a great person and I'm really excited to play with him."

And with Kieran Tierney joining in the summer at the latest, Bernardo believes Celtic are adding quality to the squad.

"I think we have a great group and if we can have this quality it's great for us," he added.

"It's always good to have better players in the squad and if we have a competitive group it's good for everyone. So yeah, I'm really happy."

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• Aston Villa and Celtic will meet for the first time; the Villans' only previous European fixture against a fellow British club came in 2023-24 Conference League qualifying, winning 8-0 on aggregate against Hibernian.

• Celtic have drawn their past three games against English opposition in the Champions League, drawing 1-1 at Manchester City in their most recent such game in December 2016.

• Only one Scottish side has ever won away from home against an English opponent in the European Cup/Champions League, with Celtic themselves beating Leeds United in April 1970 (1-0). Since then, English sides have gone unbeaten across the seven such fixtures (W5 D2).

• Celtic have qualified beyond the group stage/league phase of the Champions League for the first time since 2012-13. The Hoops have won three matches in the competition this term, last winning more in a European Cup/Champions League edition in 1973-74 (4), when they reached the semi-finals.

• Aston Villa were beaten away to Monaco last time out in the Champions League (0-1). However, Unai Emery hasn't lost consecutive games in the group/league phase of the competition since the 2015-16 campaign with Sevilla (Villa are the third side he's managed in the competition since then).

• Celtic have only won one of their last 21 away games in the Champions League (D5 L15), and are winless in 11 since beating Anderlecht in September 2017 (3-0). They have avoided defeat in the most recent two, though, drawing 0-0 against both Atalanta and Dinamo Zagreb.

• Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has won nine of his 19 career meetings with Aston Villa (D4 L6), with Crystal Palace (10 wins) being the only English side he has recorded more victories over in the dugout.

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Brondby want £14m for reported Celtic target Mathias Kvistgaarden, 22. (Mail+ - subscription), external

Norwegian club Sarpsborg will demand a package of more than £7m to sell 21-year-old winger Sondre Orjasaeter, who is attracting very concrete interest from Celtic. (TV2), external

Sarpsborg sporting director Hampus Andersson says they will do everything they can to at least keep a hold of Orjasaeter until the end of the season amid interest from Celtic, Fiorentina, Parma and Nice. (Sky Sports News via Record, external)

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says he is not aware of any transfer bid for Orjasaeter. (Herald - subscription), external

Celtic, Nantes, Leuven, Al-Ahli and Rakow Częstochowa are showing interest in 21-year-old Randers forward Tammer Bany, for whom the Danish club have rejected bids from Union Saint-Gilloise and Lausanne already this month. (Tipsbladet), external

Middlesbrough have agreed a deal to sign 19-year-old Celtic full-back Josh Dede, who was out of contract in the summer but is poised to move to the Championship club within days. (Record), external

Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Brendan Rodgers says Celtic's job is "certainly not complete" despite guaranteeing a Champions League play-off spot before their match at Aston Villa.

Celtic's win over Young Boys last week secured passage to the next round in the new-look competition, but the manager hopes his side can prove themselves against Premier League opposition on Wednesday in their final game of the league phase.

"I think that the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world," former Liverpool and Leicester boss Rodgers said.

"It's where lots of top players are, lots of top managers are but it's not the only league in the world.

"I think there were options for me to stay in the Premier League, my choice was to go to Scotland, to Celtic, and I'm so happy that I did.

"Okay, the competition might not be the same as what it is in the Premier League, but there are not many teams in the Premier League that rival the pressure that comes with managing a Celtic, or Rangers for that matter.

"There's always the opportunity for you to show your qualities as a team and as a club."

Celtic could still secure a top-eight finish and automatic qualification for the last 16, but many results would have to fall favourably elsewhere should they win.

"It's a great achievement to be in the top 24, I think, if you look at the economics at this level," Rodgers added.

"But for the players, they've been fantastic. They've worked very, very hard and do what we set out to do, which was to firstly arrive in the play-offs. So it's great.

"But our job's not complete in this series of eight games. We come here to a great venue. It's a fantastic team, but we want to come and and play to the level that we know we can."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media before the Champions League match with Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• Celtic have agreed a deal with Arsenal to sign Kieran Tierney in the summer, but Rodgers admits "ideally" they'd like to bring him in in January. "It would be great" if that could happen, "we would like to do that," he adds.

• The need for cover at left-back has been heightened by the loss of Alex Valle, who is in Barcelona finalising a loan to another club, which was also confirmed by the manager.

• Rodgers believes it's been "a great achievement" by his side to be in the top 24, and says the players have worked hard to get there, but the "job isn't complete".

• He insists Celtic have come to Villa Park to play at the level they know they can.

• On losing the "iconic" Kyogo Furuhashi from his squad and Daizen Maeda being suspended, Rodgers says both have been key players, especially in Europe, but he has the squad to cope without them, giving others a chance to step in.

• Cameron Carter-Vickers won't play on Wednesday, he has a niggle but should be okay for Sunday against Motherwell.

• Rodgers was full of praise for his counterpart Unai Emery, calling the job he's done with Aston Villa "top class".

• He is expecting a big challenge against "a very good side", who like to counter-attack, but it's a test he's looking forward to.

• On John McGinn, a player he tried to sign for Celtic, Rodgers says he is "instrumental" for Villa and the move to England has worked out well for him.

Stiliyan Petrov spent a combined 14 years at Aston Villa and Celtic, but it is not just his own playing career that means he has divided loyalties when it comes to their Champions League meeting at Villa Park.

The former Bulgaria midfielder tells The Football News Show why his sons' allegiances could create a headache in the Petrov household on Wednesday.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery says his side are facing a "fantastic coach" and "prestigious club" when they host Brendan Rodgers' Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Spaniard has won two of his three previous games against Celtic, with his PSG side winning 7-1 and 5-0 in Champions League meetings in 2017.

He also faced Celtic as manager of Spartak Moscow in 2012 when an injury-time goal from Georgios Samaras gave the Scottish side a historic first away win in the group stage.

"It doesn't matter!" Emery said when asked how those games had finished.

"Brendan is a fantastic coach, he showed here in Leicester.

"The last matches we played together was when he was at Leicester and it was always very difficult to beat the team he was managing.

"With PSG it was a different moment, we won but it was different teams."

Both sides have already secured a play-off spot in the new-look league phase and a win could still lift either of them into an automatic qualification spot, with Villa currently a point better off than Celtic and only outside the top eight on goal difference.

"Tomorrow we will respect them like they deserve and they are a winning team, their mentality is usually winning matches in their league," Emery added.

"They are going to play feeling confident and trying to face us feeling they can be close to us as well.

"I know because I respect and analyse them. They have good players and a good coach, the club is a prestigious club and the players feel they are a team to play in Europe."

We asked for your views on Kyogo Furhashi's exit and Jota's return to Celtic.

Here's what some of you said:

Paul: Jota is not the same player after leaving Celtic for Saudi Arabia, it's a backward step coming back to Parkhead, we don't need another winger at the club. The return of the prodigal son will not work out, it will be another bad piece of transfer business just like Adam Idah's permanent move from Norwich last summer, a complete and utter waste of money.

Jim: Good luck Kyogo, and thanks for your great play. I hope that Jota gets up to speed and settled in. He can be great signing for us, a great piece of business for the club, but you know what they say about players returning!

Neil: Jota signing is a great bit of business. I'm sure he will be a success. Kyogo, is a strange move. Why go to a relegation dogfight and leave a potential treble behind? A good servant but in recent times he's missed too many clear chances. Great business returning £10m.

Stephen: So sad Kyogo is away. Such a huge character to be missing from Scottish football. However, to my recollection, Jota was good domestically, but he never excelled on the European stage for Celtic. Interesting times ahead.

John: Kyogo will be a huge miss, not only his goals and his movement but his infectious personality, his enthusiasm for the game lit up the whole stadium. That has waned a little this season, obviously in his body language. We'd have bigger problems had we been totally depending on only his goals. We're not. We've scored 60 with 50 coming from other players.

Kevin: All the best to Kyogo, he was fantastic but clearly wanted to go, change of agent in the summer was a big hint, and welcome back Jota! He should be rested and raring to go. Now, Kieran Tierney and a striker please.

Celtic have bid for Sarpsborg winger Sondre Orjasaeter, 21. (Sky Sports), external

However, Celtic are set to lose on-loan Barcelona left-back Alex Valle, with the 20-year expected to join Como. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Meanwhile, Celtic have held initial talks with Odense centre-back Tobias Slotsager's representatives but are one of a number of clubs interested in the 19-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer. (Sky Sports), external

Arsenal's Scotland defender Kieran Tierney has verbally agreed to re-join Celtic. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Celtic are struggling to reach an agreement with Arsenal to take Tierney on loan, despite having reached a pre-agreement to sign the 27-year-old Scotland defender on a free transfer in the summer, as the Premier League club are short on left-back options. (TeamTalk), external

But Celtic are expected to approach Arsenal to discuss the conditions of a possible loan deal for Tierney this month. (Sky Sports), external

PAOK join Olympiacos and Panathanaikos on the trail of Celtic winger Luis Palma, 25. (Sun), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

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While not a like-for-like replacement, the blow of Kyogo Furuhashi's Celtic exit has been softened by the return of Jota.

"It's like replacing a Ferrari with a Lamborghini", as BBC broadcaster Craig Telfer deftly put it.

Will the Portuguese winger slot seamlessly back into the current Celtic side or will he have to adapt to Brendan Rodgers' style of play? Either way, it's a "good problem" for the manager to have.

The 25-year-old was a fan favourite during his first spell at the club and Telfer, presenter of A View From The Terrace, thinks that is down to the charismatic forward always having a smile on his face when he plays.

"I think Jota is an absolutely smashing signing and Kyogo going out, it's like replacing a Ferrari with a Lamborghini. It's an absolutely phenomenal signing," he told the Scottish Football Podcast.

"Jota, certainly in the last 18 months or so since leaving Celtic, has been a bit in the wilderness, I don't think his move to Saudi Arabia worked out and his move to Rennes certainly didn't work out.

"But he was a phenomenal player when playing for Celtic, the kind of player that fans like to watch, the sort of player that will take you to the edge of your seat. What I liked most about Jota, he really looked like he was enjoying himself as well.

"I think the only issue that Celtic really have is where do you play him? Because you've got obviously [Daizen] Maeda on one side of the attacking three, Nicholas Kuhn on the other, guys who are both very, very good.

"And it's where he fits into this, but it's a very, very good problem for Rodgers to have."

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Kyogo Furhashi has thanked the Celtic support for making him feel "like the happiest player in the world" during his trophy-laden spell in Glasgow.

The Japan forward, who told manager Brendan Rodgers months ago he was eager for a fresh challenge, has joined Ligue 1 strugglers Rennes for a reported fee of £10m.

Kyogo, 30, scored 85 goals in 165 Celtic appearances and won three Premiership titles, three League Cups and two Scottish Cups.

In a farewell message released by Celtic, Kyogo said: "Over the past three-and-a-half years, I have been truly grateful for your wonderful support and cheering From the moment I joined until my final day, I've been happy every step of the way.

"Being able to enjoy so many wonderful moments and achievements with all of you made me feel like the happiest player in the world countless times. I believe these invaluable experiences were only possible because I came to Celtic.

"Even as the time goes on, I am deeply moved and encouraged by the many warm messages and kind words I continue to receive, and I cannot thank you enough. I move forward but I will keep all of you in my heart and continue on my journey.

"Lastly, I am very sorry that I couldn't say goodbye to you all, but I will give my best in my new chapter. I am confident that my wonderful Celtic team-mates, along with the manager and his backroom team will continue to create new and exciting moments for the rest of the season.

"Please continue to show your amazing support for Celtic, just as you always have. Hail hail."

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Jota believes he has returned to Celtic a "more mature" person having overcome "some difficulties" with Al-Ittihad then Rennes.

The 25-year-old Portuguese winger has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract as former Celtic team-mate Kyogo Furuhashi moved in the opposite direction to the Ligue 1 strugglers.

Jota had moved to Saudi Arabia only 18 months ago in a reported £25m transfer but found game time limited with Al-Ittihad, who had signed more than their allocated number of foreign players, then after last summer's switch to France.

"I'm buzzing," he said. "It feels like home and, for me, that's something that I was aiming for. Going to Lennoxtown and training, it just felt like nostalgic, but it felt like I've never left.

"But the last year and a half felt like 10 years."

Jota pointed out that "I didn't have a lot of opportunities to play" in recent months.

"Obviously physically it's not my best moment, but that will come quickly with minutes, game time, training and I just can't wait for it," he said.

"It's choices that you make and you have to live with them and you have to go through them. So I've learned a lot of stuff.

"I've known myself in different ways and I think that's all positive because I'm much more mature."

Jota revealed that he thought he would return to Celtic one day but was not expecting it so quickly.

"It's only when you leave that then you can look back and see I had that," he added.

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Jota wants to "bring joy" to the Celtic supporters even though "times have changed" at Parkhead.

Having left in the summer of 2023, the winger returns to Glasgow on a five-and-a-half-year deal after leaving French side Rennes where he spent the last six months following a tough spell in Saudi Arabia.

Since his last spell in Glasgow, there's a new man at the helm in Brendan Rodgers and new attacking partners to get to grips with.

"The last year-and-a-half has had its ups and downs," the 25-year-old told CelticTV.

"But that's life and that's how football is.

"I think it's a really exciting time to be working with someone who has achieved so much and who is giving so much joy and happiness to the Celtic family.

"Times have changed with new team-mates and a new coach but the idea and the path that Celtic always aims for is to go forward and it's here, it's part of the DNA.

"I just want to come and help as much as I can and to contribute to the team and achieve big things, just like in the past.

"The aim is to win matches and give joy to the fans, and in the end it's about winning titles and that's what we are here to do."

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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After three-and-a-half years, 165 appearances and eight trophies, the striker many fans have hailed as the best since Henrik Larsson has ended his Celtic career.

Kyogo Furuhashi, the 5ft 7in Japan forward, was a largely unknown quantity in Scotland when he arrived in July 2021 from Vissel Kobe in the wake of Ange Postecoglou taking over as manager.

But three league titles, three League Cups and two Scottish Cups later, the 30-year-old leaves to join Rennes as a Celtic icon who captured the hearts of the support.

Kyogo scored 85 goals - 63 of them in the Premiership - and contributed 15 assists as well as creating 82 chances.

He netted 20 times in his debut campaign then came his most prolific season, scoring 34 goals in 2022-23 as Postecoglou's tenure culminated in a domestic treble. Kyogo scored 19 the following season - the joint most with Matt O'Riley - to continue his mantle as Celtic top scorer every year since he arrived.

The fans' favourite was often Celtic's man for the big occasion and thrived against Rangers. In his 17 Old Firm derbies, he netted eight and was on the winning side 10 times, losing just four.

Across his five domestic finals, Kyogo's five-goal haul included match-winning doubles against Hibs and Rangers in successive League Cup triumphs.

There were memorable moments in Europe too. Kyogo made 28 European appearances for Celtic, scoring eight goals and setting up three.

His final outing for the club was the Champions League win over Young Boys where he was denied a farewell strike - three times - with a disallowed first-half hat-trick.