Scotland defender Kieran Tierney, who will return to Celtic this summer, was on the end of a heavy challenge by Ivan Perisic in Arsenal's aggregate win-completing draw with PSV Eindhoven. (Scotsman - subscription required), external
Image source, SNSCan Jota add to his tally of four goals against Rangers on Sunday?
Celtic winger Jota welcomes the "very special feeling" of playing in the Old Firm derby for the first time in almost two years.
The Portuguese scored four goals against Rangers in his first stint between 2021 and 2023, including two that proved decisive in back-to-back wins in April 2023.
Looking forward to Sunday's Premiership meeting at Celtic Park, he told Celtic TV: "For people to realise what this game is about, they need to be here
"For the players who have the opportunity to actually be involved in this game, it means something different. It's a very special feeling.
"Luckily for me, I've had the opportunity to play a lot of them and I want to play many more. So, I'm just excited about it.
"I would say the feeling of Champions League is something different, but right next to it is the game against Rangers. You can feel it's different. There's this sense in the air that today is the derby and today we go for it."
Jota has netted three goals in 10 outings since returning to Celtic from Rennes in January.
"It has been an amazing time with the lads and just getting back together to see some familiar faces," said the 25-year-old. "It has been a really great experience in these first matches.
"I really like the way things are going and I just can't wait to see what else we can bring.
"I really like the way we train, the way we play and then, as a group, we are all very together and we fight for the same thing. The connection between the coach and the players has been really nice."
Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
They're one match away from another Scottish Cup final. Three wins away from claiming the league title.
Barring the unlikeliest of semi-final defeats, with the greatest respect to St Johnstone, Celtic now have 11 games left of what may very well be their sixth treble-winning campaign in the past nine years.
While they'll prepare diligently for every remaining opponent, there are four big games that stand out: two matches at Hampden should they progress to the Scottish Cup final and a pair of derbies with Rangers.
The first this weekend would put Brendan Rodgers' men within touching distance of reclaiming their Premiership crown were they to keep up their impressive run of results at Parkhead.
No Scottish side has won there in 16 months. Rangers haven't tasted victory there in well over four years and have lost their past five visits.
Given the exertions they're likely to need against Fenerbahce on Thursday, it's likely to take a Herculean effort from Barry Ferguson's side to arrest that losing streak this weekend.
Which raises the question: if most boxes have been ticked, and there are only a few games left that really matter, is this not the time for Celtic to be making detailed plans for next season?
They already know Scotland defender Kieran Tierney will be returning, an addition that massively strengthens the squad if he can put injury woes behind him.
Another striker looks a priority. Given he's in the form of his life, keeping Daizen Maeda may well be an achievement in itself if clubs come calling for the Japan international.
The same probably applies to assets like Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate. If big offers come in, could Celtic refuse them? If they can't, succession planning must already be in place, with potential replacements already identified.
When Celtic win the title again this season, there is no automatic entry to the Champions League. A tricky play-off lies ahead in the summer, for which Celtic will have to be completely prepared with new players bedded in and ready to hit the ground running.
By their standards, Celtic have spent big under Rodgers, and he'll be looking for the board to push the boat out once again if the fine showing against Bayern Munich isn't to be a flash in the pan.
Proper planning is required to get the recruitment spot on in the summer and allow Celtic to continue to build from a position of strength.
Which leads me to conclude that the really important work in the next few months will be done as much off the pitch as on it.
Celtic transfer target Mathias Kvistgaarden could be set to miss out on Brondby's final league game of the season after being forced off early into his side's loss to Randers on Monday night. (The Scotsman)
Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.
Tino
Fan writer
Played 20, won 20. That's the incredible Scottish Cup record Brendan Rodgers now holds following Celtic's quarter-final win over Hibs.
And with the potential of two further ties in the competition this season it's a winning run he'll only be looking to extend further.
The record itself is a measure of the consistency we've come to expect of Rodgers over two spells in the Celtic hotseat as he's won trophy after trophy following his arrival in May 2016.
Should he claim the Scottish Cup as well as this season's Premiership title that would bring his tally to 12, making him undoubtedly our most successful manager in modern times.
The fact we're on track for a ninth treble in our history – with Rodgers already responsible for two of those – is testament to just how much he has achieved already.
And though there were reservations among some fans about his return to the club, those concerns are now over just how long we can keep the man whose current deal expires at the end of next season.
Make no mistake, Rodgers is the perfect fit for Celtic and is the man who could see us take further strides in Europe following the success of this season's campaign.
Things change in football but as it stands we have a manager who seems content, capable and energised for the challenge of progressing this club.
Should he continue to be backed by the board – and signings like Arne Engels (£11m), Adam Idah (£9.5m) and Jota (£8m) shows that has absolutely been the case so far – there may be less inclination to make another move and more reason to continue with the current project.
Rumours of Rodgers signing an extended deal have yet to come to fruition but should Celtic complete another domestic clean sweep this season then it would be the icing on the cake to tie down a man who has barely known anything other than success here in Scotland.
If Michael Nicholson and the Celtic board can make that happen then we can all sail into the summer full of excitement and expectation about what the next couple of seasons may bring.
Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external
Image source, SNSSteven McLean will take charge of Sunday's Scottish Premiership meeting at Parkhead between Celtic and Rangers.
John Beaton, who officiated two of the sides' previous three meetings this season, is the VAR this weekend, assisted by Sean Carr, while Graeme Stewart and Dougie Potter are the assistant referees.
McLean last refereed an Old Firm derby in May 2023, a 3-0 win for Rangers over Celtic at Ibrox.
This weekend will be the first league meeting of the sides since 2023 where away fans will be present, with Rangers supporters allocated "4% of saleable capacity".
It will also be the first derby in the dugout for interim manager Barry Ferguson.
Celtic hold a 16-point lead and are three wins away from retaining the title.
Celtic have reportedly scouted Dundee United forward Owen Stirton, the 18-year-old forward on loan at Montrose. (National), external
Image source, SNSHolders Celtic will take on St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup semi-finals next month.
The tie will be played at Hampden on the weekend of 19-20 April.
Hearts face Aberdeen in the other semi-final.
Image source, SNSArne Engels insists "nobody needs to be motivated" for next weekend's derby against Rangers.
Celtic go into the game at Parkhead 16 points clear at the top of the Premiership table having booked a spot in the Scottish Cup semi-final and with the League Cup trophy already in the bag.
But in the game at Ibrox earlier this year, Brendan Rodgers' side suffered their first domestic defeat of the season with a 3-0 loss away from home.
"Nobody needs to be motivated for that game," Engels said.
"Everybody knows what kind of game it is and what kind of game everybody wants to have.
"We just need to win and don't need to show everybody how good we are because we showed it already a lot of times
"It's now about winning every game and that's always our mindset and it will always be our mindset every week. We are really ready for it and everybody is really focused now on that game.
"We just have the mentality of winning every game and that's what we did already the whole year and what we are going to do now the next weeks.
"Just going into every game with our winning mentality and with a lot of energy, which has allowed us to produce really good results and really good performances.
"We just need to keep on going like this and not look too much forward. Just to the next game and going there with full energy and full focus."
Image source, SNSAdam Idah scored the second goal in Celtic's 2-0 Scottish Cup win over Hibs
Sunday Mail chief football writer Scott McDermott says Adam Idah can overcome a "tough" spell at Celtic and fight for a starting spot.
The Irishman made a permanent move from Norwich in the summer and spent the majority of the season playing second fiddle to Kyogo Furuhashi before he left for Rennes in the winter window.
Since the turn of the year though, Daizen Maeda has emerged as a preferred option up top for Celtic.
The Japan international started up front in Celtic's 2-0 victory over Hibernian in the Scottish Cup on Sunday and scored the opening goal for Brendan Rodgers' side while Idah was brought on in the final minutes and nabbed the second.
"Try and put yourself in Adam Idah's mind," McDermott told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.
"When Kyogo goes, he's probably at the back of his mind celebrating, thinking this is brilliant I'm the first choice number nine here.
"Little does he know that a couple of weeks later, Daizen is the new number nine for Celtic because Brendan Rodgers obviously changes it up.
"We know what Maeda gives through the middle and again when it was such a big game [against Hibs], Brendan Rodgers reverts to what now looks like his first choice 11 and that doesn't have Adam Idah in it.
"So it's tough for him but all he can do is what he did on Sunday. He was only on the park for about 10 minutes and he comes on, looks a threat and gets his goal. So he'll be pleased with that but he'll definitely want more minutes."
Image source, SNSYang Hyun-jun has been called up for South Korea's World Cup qualifiers later this month.
A year on from his last inclusion, Yang will be in the squad for games against Oman and Jordan later this month.
Despite a difficult start to life in Glasgow, the winger has been impressive in recent games with four goals and two assists in his last five Premiership appearances.
He will join up with Hong Myung-bo's side as they search for the two wins needed in order to qualify for next year's competition.
Celtic fans, we asked for your views on Sunday's Scottish Cup win over Hibs.
Here's what some of you had to say:
PJ: A professional performance from Celtic where the opposition had no chance. This is now an era of domination that nobody is hitting soon at all.
Peter: Result is all that matters. Yes, we can play better but who cares. The treble is still on. Enjoy these days, it has not always been like this. The last 25 years have been incredible domestically. The challenge remains to progress on European front but never take domestic dominance for granted, it has to be earned. We have a manager who understands that.
John: The victory was very comfortable Hibs never gave up but on the day Celtic were just too good for them.
Chris: I think we did what we needed to do. We had good spells in the game, got the goals at the right time, defended well, and controlled the game when we needed. To me it was another example of maybe not firing on all cylinders but you get the result anyway, and against a much improved Hibs side.
Brian: Daizen Maeda is just like a Celtic Mo Salah! He scores every other match: league, League Cup, Champions League, Scottish Cup. Unstoppable. Player of last month, year and Ballon d'Or!
Crystal Palace are keen to bring Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers back to the Premier League. (GiveMeSport), external
Motherwell will demand a fee of just under £10m for 18-year-old midfielder Lennon Miller this summer, with Celtic and Lyon both interested. (Football Insider), external
Hyun-jun Yang's recent form for Celtic has earned him a return to the South Korea squad for World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Jordan this month. (Anthony Joseph on X), external
Celtic fans, were you taking in the action at Parkhead on Sunday or following the action from home? Either way we want your views as Brendan Rodgers' side booked their spot in the semi-final.
Image source, SNSCeltic manager Brendan Rodgers: "We knew the jeopardy in the game but I thought we were excellent.
"In the second half we had a little spell of about 10-12 minutes where we just didn't keep the ball well enough to allow us to come up the pitch so that gave them a little bit of impetus.
"I thought overall in the game we were thoroughly deserving winners. We scored two probably could have had more. The game probably should have been out of sight earlier.
"Consistency is all about mentality and that's a massive credit to the players. The environment we have is to maintain a standard of performance every single day and over the course of the season the players have done that.
"Overall it was a really professional performance. I'm just really happy to be in the semi-final."
Kheredine Idessane
BBC Scotland at Celtic Park
This was, at times, a sparkling display from Celtic, who started like a runaway train and threatened to overwhelm the men from Leith.
Visiting goalkeeper Jordan Smith had to be on top form, with the likes of Reo Hatate, Nicolas Kuhn, Jota and Daizen Maeda all constant menaces.
On another day, this would have been a far more comfortable win for Celtic but when it comes to cup ties, all that matters is getting the win so it was a case of very much job done for Brendan Rodgers' men against the other form team in the country.
Image source, SNSHibernian's Chris Cadden tracks Celtic's Jota
Daizen Maeda put in another energetic performance and scored Celtic's opener against Hibernian but, had it not been for visiting goalkeeper Jordan Smith, the margin of victory would have been greater.
Image source, SNSDaizen Maeda and Jordan Smith were prominent at Celtic Park
Nicolas Kuhn wants Celtic to avenge their recent league defeat by Hibernian when the sides meet in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals on Sunday. (Daily Record), external
Image source, SNSLiam Scales misses out for Celtic with a facial injury but Auston Trusty and Callum McGregor are fit after going off with injuries against St Mirren.
James Forrest is building up his fitness after a foot injury, while Paulo Bernardo will return from an ankle injury after the international break.
Hibs captain Joe Newell remains on the sidelines.
Image source, SNSLuke McCowan says he hopes a Scotland call-up is "on the horizon" should he continue impressing for Celtic, but isn't expecting one in the near future.
Head coach Steve Clarke will name his squad for the two-legged Nations League play-off against Greece next week, and some supporters and pundits have suggested the midfielder should be selected.
But the 27-year-old is not getting his hopes up.
"Maybe not a target this season," he said of making Clarke's team.
"It's something that's hopefully on the horizon at one point, but as I've said before, it's not something that's jumping out at me.
"If it comes along, it comes along. I'm at a great club. I'm playing most weeks and I'm enjoying that.
"If that comes along, I'm sure I'll be happy, but it's about focusing on Celtic just now."
McCowan and his team-mates have been able to do that more this past week than recent times have allowed, due to not playing midweek.
The former Dundee man admitted he had to "push through" some gruelling weeks amid a packed fixture schedule, but knows he's come out the other end stronger for it.
"It's actually something I was thinking of this week, now that it's passed, I was like, that was a tough couple of months," he added.
"It's the first time I've felt it. This mentality, getting your body used to it, getting your mind used to it, is something that I obviously got through now, but I'm glad I pushed myself through that. You test yourself with it.
"If I was to get called up, I know I'd be able to deal with it a lot better than what I would in previous years. If it does come along, I know I'll be ready for it mentally, physically and tactically.
"Hopefully it does come along, but if it doesn't, it's not something that's going to get to me."
