Celtic

We asked for your views on Celtic's 1-1 home draw with Club Brugge in the Champions League.

Here's what some of you said:

James: Previously we would have accepted a point but now this feels like a loss given the nature of their goal. Poor first half but took control after the substitutions. We are desperate for a left-back who can defend as I don't think we can keep Alex Valle. Paulo Bernardo deserves to be first pick before Arne Engels. Well done Bhoys.

Patrick: Celtic fans always expect a lot, but to be disappointed about the result shows how far we've come this season. Perhaps we're not world class, but we can definitely compete! A few changes earlier in the game could have stolen the win for Celtic.

Gerard: Strangely starting with the same 11 who struggled at Tynecastle so no surprise it was a poor first half. Our midfield were too passive, especially Engels who again turned in a poor performance. I think he needs time out of the team. Bernardo looked far more assured and aggressive when he came on. A missed opportunity last night.

David: The Bhoys were a bit off. Brugge's gameplan was very similar to Celtic's own tactics - high press, close down the midfield and defence quickly - and they did this particularly well on Callum McGregor, who usually bosses a game. But an OK draw in the end. Still in the hunt.

Anon: I feel there has to be some blame placed on the Celtic fans. I understand the players should earn the right to a good atmosphere but I have been going to Parkhead for over 25 years and the place used to be rocking from start to finish on European night regardless of who/how we were playing. Nowadays this entitled mob sit down after 'Walk on'.

Pablo: A resolute point. Didn't earn the right to win and Brugge were a very good side. Happy with eight points with three games to play.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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No sooner had the dust settled on Celtic's battling draw with Club Brugge side than defender Auston Trusty cast a glance to a "huge" next game in the Champions League away to Dinamo Zagreb on 10 December.

A win would take Celtic on to 11 points and virtually guarantee a place in the knockout phase.

American international Trusty, who impressed against Brugge, told BBC Scotland: "Huge. Every game is huge. We're confident in ourselves and in our ability. We know the power we possess and it's really in our hands.

"We can compete with anybody. When we're on it, and playing our game, I think we've shown we can play.

"I've joined a squad where everybody's good. I trust everybody and everyone has their own way of playing the game and they really thrive in doing so."

Trusty says he's developing a good partnership with international team-mate Cameron Carter-Vickers but believes the strength of the team is its collective ability.

"I'm confident and the team's very confident," he added. "I joined a squad and an organisation that want success and has a history of success and a mindset where you give your all every single game.

"We're really confident going into any game, whether it's league or Champions League so we're in a good spot."

It's the time of year when many American thoughts turn towards Thanksgiving, and Trusty is no different, with family over to watch him play and then celebrate.

"I have family over here who flew over from the States to see this game," the 26-year-old said.

"The chance to go to a Champions League game at Celtic Park is pretty special and then we're going to have Thanksgiving on Thursday. Turkey, pumpkin pie, apple pie, the works."

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• Celtic are undefeated in their last three games in the Champions League, their last joint longest unbeaten streak was from 10 December 2008 to 2 October 2012.

• Celtic are unbeaten in their last five Champions League home games (W3 D2), having lost eight of their previous nine at Celtic Park before this (D1).

• Andreas Skov Olsen attempted four shots in this game, the joint-highest total for a Club Brugge player in the Champions League .

• Celtic's Daizen Maeda scored his third Champions League goal this season, the joint most by a Japanese player in a single campaign (Daichi Kamada in 2022-23 and Shinji Kagawa in 2016-17).

• Maeda's three goals is the joint-most by a Celtic player in a single campaign, with Moussa Dembele the last player to do so for the club (2016-17).

• Cameron Carter-Vickers became the first Celtic player to net an own goal in the Champions League since Jozo Simunovic against Anderlecht in December 2017.

• Christos Tzolis created four chances, the joint-most on record (since 2003-04) for a Club Brugge player in a Champions League away game.

• Carter-Vickers attempted 148 passes in this game, the highest total for a player in the Champions League.

Celtic are the seventh best overperforming side in this season's Champions League comparing their points with playing budget, with Brest leading the way and Real Madrid at the bottom. (Transfermarkt), external

Celtic earned another £583,000 for Wednesday's Champions League draw with Club Brugge. (The National), external

Liverpool will target Bayer Leverkusen's 23-year-old former Celtic right-back, Jeremie Frimpong, should England international Trent Alexander-Arnold move to Real Madrid this summer. (Bild), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Daizen Maeda struck a superb equaliser as Celtic recovered from a Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal to earn a Champions League point at home to an impressive Club Brugge.

A disastrous defensive mix-up led to Carter-Vickers knocking the ball past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, while Brugge passed up several good chances before Maeda levelled on the hour.

A VAR offside went against visiting forward Ferran Jutgla and, while both sides had opportunities to win it, a point apiece seemed fair as Celtic finished strongly.

The result leaves Celtic on eight points, with the Belgians one behind in the table.

Next up for Celtic is a trip to Croatia to take on Dinamo Zagreb on 10 December followed by a home game with Young Boys and a visit to Aston Villa.

Celtic fans, were you at Parkhead or following along from home? Either way, we want your thoughts on the game. Have your say., external

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Despite being second best in that opening period, Celtic still fashioned some decent openings, with Arne Engels blasting over from 10 yards after being teed up by Daizen Maeda.

While Brendan Rodgers' side were at their scintillating best against RB Leipzig, this was a challenge of a different kind. They struggled for long spells to find their normal fluency.

The Scottish champions were missing a spark and it looked most likely to come from Nicolas Kuhn. One clever dink into the box narrowly evaded Kyogo, while another found the head of Reo Hatate, but he could only divert his effort straight at the keeper.

Maeda's goal was a fleeting moment of class in a game in which the home side struggled to impose themselves.

The Japan international broke into the box and did brilliantly to chop back inside on his right foot and curl a lovely finish beyond Simon Mignolet and in off the post.

It was a wonderful goal and one that could prove crucial in the final shake-up.

Celtic started to turn the screw and it was they who were pushing late on for a winner, but to no avail.

While Celtic would have targeted three points from this one when the fixtures were released, Rodgers may well be satisfied with a point in the end.

With away fixtures in Zagreb and Villa Park either side of a home match against Young Boys, Celtic know their destiny is still in their own hands as they aim to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 2013.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers tells TNT Sports: "First half not so good, second half much better. You obviously want to win every game, but first half we were very passive in our pressing and you could see they are a good side.

"Second half, we adjusted a couple of things and we had a much better press, which allowed us to sustain attacks.

"It's a brilliant finish from Daizen [Maeda]. We were much more courageous in the second half.

"So, so pleased with the second half. We kept going, showed determination right to the end. It's a really good point against a good side and we'll take that into our next game.

"We're still in a really good place. We're still well on track [to get into the play-off stage]."

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Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor, McGregor, Hatate, Engels, Kuhn, Maeda, Kyogo.

Substitutes: Sinisalo, Scales, Palma, Idah, Valle, Yang, McCowan, Nawrocki, Bernardo, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh.

Club Brugge: Mignolet, Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, Jashari, Onyedika, Vanaken, De Cuyper, Olsen, Jutgla, Tzolis.

Substitutes: Jackers, Romero, Vetlesen, Vermant, Skoras, Nielsen, Spileers, Sabbe, Talbi.

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Belgian football expert Scott Coyne suggests Club Brugge could be in for a "difficult evening" at Celtic Park on Wednesday night.

Nicky Hayen's side have picked up six points from their four Champions League games so far, just one fewer than the Glasgow club, and most recently beat Aston Villa 1-0 in Belgium.

Celtic's previous league encounter saw them beat RB Leipzig 3-1 in Glasgow to make it seven points from their first four European matches - six of which have come at home.

"I'm sure Celtic looked at this fixture and thought, we're right in this one," Coyne told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Especially with it being a home tie. I think that that takes the balance very much in Celtic's favour.

"European nights at Celtic Park, we've seen very big elite sides come into that environment and really struggle and I think Club Brugge are going to enjoy coming to that environment and playing.

"I think they have to really veer away from the slight cautiousness they've approached away games with if they're going to get anything in this game.

"They're going to need to take some risks and really try and have a go at Celtic rather than trying to feel their way into the game.

"I think if they let Celtic set the tempo early then I think they could have quite a difficult evening."

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Celtic's encouraging start in the Champions League shows they have "grown and matured" in the competition, says centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers.

In their past two European campaigns, the Glasgow side have been eliminated after finishing bottom of their group on both occasions.

But the Scottish champions have accumulated seven points from four games in the revamped league phase and they will be hoping to take that tally to 10 when they welcome Club Brugge on Wednesday.

The United States defender says the squad's target was "around" the 10-point mark and as a team they feel "we are close to getting out of the [league] phase".

"It's us against ourselves now to see how many points we can get," he added.

"You can see how we've grown and matured in the competition. It's not just about learning from this season, it's about the last couple of seasons and it's paying off well for us."

The centre-back says the statement victory over RB Leipzig earlier this month showed people on the outside that Celtic can compete on this stage.

But the 26-year-old also acknowledges the difficulty that will come in their final four matches as they aim to book a knockout place in the Champions League for the first time in more than a decade.

"It'll be a big achievement [to progress]," he said. "Our goal has been to get to a knockout round.

"We feel pretty close to that but know there are four tough games to go."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

It speaks volumes for Celtic's European learning curve that large swathes of the support will arrive for tonight's Champions League clash with Belgian title winners Club Brugge more in expectation than hope.

Even the players are on the same page. "We’ve learned a massive amount. We’re more mature at this level now." The words of centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers.

It's hard to argue. Three home wins on the bounce, factoring in the recent victories over RB Leipzig and Slovan Bratislava with the defeat of Feyenoord last season. Seven points from the first available 12 is a handsome return for a side still to host the Belgians and Swiss champions Young Boys at Parkhead in the opening phase of this reformatted Champions League.

It means the calculators may well be out in the Celtic Park stands should Brugge be beaten and it becomes four home wins in a row.

It’s widely thought among the number crunchers and statisticians that 10 points should be enough for any team to advance to the knockout phase. Figuring out that puzzle may be a little bit easier come the full-time whistle.

The post-victory smiles would linger long on the supporters' faces, and there may even be talk of aiming higher up the new-look Champions League table. Celtic couldn't finish in the top eight and advance straight into the last 16, could they?

After tonight, Brendan Rodgers' men have to negotiate a trip to Dinamo Zagreb before Christmas and then January games against Young Boys and Aston Villa. Should they head to Croatia already in double figures, is it too much of a stretch to target 14 or 15 points?

Those targets were virtually unthinkable before a ball was kicked this season, such have been Celtic's struggles at this level in recent years.

You certainly can't argue that now. Rodgers says he’s delighted with the progress his side has made but is certain there is more to come. We're about to find out just how much more.

"Failure is part of the journey," he said, responding to how his troops have picked themselves up since the 7-1 drubbing in Dortmund. In this Champions League campaign, for the first time in years, there’s been a fair amount of success as well.

Ex-Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster will be in Tottenham's goal for the Europa League game at Rangers because of the injury to Guglielmo Vicario. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Club Brugge boss Nicky Hayen says British football might be known for a "kick and rush" style, but that is not what he expects from Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Hayen is a fan of opposite number Brendan Rodgers' possession-based game and is expecting a difficult but exciting match at Parkhead. A win for either side would go a long way to sealing progression in the competition.

"You see that he's a coach who really wants to play football, even from the back," Hayen said of Rodgers.

"He wants to invite pressure and always tries to find the right solution. He has the players to go deep, with deep runs from their attackers in the second line. Celtic are quite complete as a team but also as individual players.

"You see Brendan's hand in it all. You could say that British football is more 'kick and rush' but here at Celtic you never see it. It's always a clean build-up from the back and that's exactly what a coach wants."

In his own pre-match press conference, Rodgers spoke about harnessing "the power of Celtic Park".

Hayen has told his side to "embrace" the frenzied Parkhead atmosphere.

"I heard from people that the expectations here are really big and that the atmosphere will be crazy and that they are waiting for us," he said.

"These are the games you want to play as a player and we just have to stay calm, embrace all these feelings and just perform on the pitch.

"I don't think it will be a really closed game. It will be open and let's hope it will be an exciting evening."

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers talks to the media before his side's Champions League match against Club Brugge.

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Brendan Rodgers has warned his Celtic side not to take Club Brugge lightly on Wednesday despite their impressive recent Champions League form.

Rodgers' side bounced back from their 7-1 loss against Borussia Dortmund with a goalless draw at Atalanta and a magnificent 3-1 home win against RB Leipzig.

While Club Brugge are not ranked as highly as Celtic's last two European opponents, Rodgers expects "another big examination".

"Teams like Club Brugge are not teams that are probably spoken about a lot, maybe in the same echelons of some of these other big names," the Northern Irishman said.

"But these are teams that you cannot underestimate. They're very experienced at the level.

"They've got some fantastic players, a very good coach who's stepped up and taken them and works them very, very well. So we have to be mindful of that.

"Every game is a very, very tough game and this game will be another big examination for us."

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Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media before Celtic's Champions League game with Club Brugge on Wednesday night.

Here are the key lines from the Celtic boss:

• Rodgers is urging his team to harness "the power of Celtic Park" as they look to move to the brink of the knockout stages with three games to spare.

• He says opposition players now find Parkhead an intimidating arena: "Take the RB Leipzig match for example. Some of their players afterwards spoke of the impact the stadium brings. We have to channel that, we have to be at the highest level to progress."

• A key quote was "failure is a part of the journey". The manager spoke about the "trampoline effect" of the 7-1 trouncing in Dortmund. He feels his players have responded really well - "it can bounce you back higher" - by drawing at Atalanta then beating Leipzig.

• Rodgers says Brugge will provide his team with "a big examination" as Celtic aim to take their home Champions League winning streak to four matches.

• He warns against thinking the Belgian champions are a lesser side than Atalanta or Leipzig just because they're not as heralded a name.

• Rodgers adds: "They've got really good organisation. They're very well coached, they know their roles. The frontline is fast and dynamic. Simon Mignolet [goalkeeper] is calm and experienced, they have hungry young players, these are teams you cannot underestimate. Fantastic players with a good coach."

• The Celtic boss says he's heartened by the progress he feels his side have made compared to this time last year and is further encouraged that "there’s still a lot more to come".

• Rodgers revealed he has a fully fit squad to choose from and he's excited for another big Champions League night at Celtic Park under the lights.