Celtic

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

How times have changed for Celtic. As they prepare for their first home European league-phase game against Braga, a few home truths are hard to avoid.

This is a match that almost certainly won't sell out; in a competition the club didn't want to be in; in front of a section of fans who intended to stage a silent protest before postponing it; supporting a team that is struggling to score goals.

Apart from that, it's all good in the Parkhead garden.

The simmering discontent amid a sizeable chunk of the support is unlikely to be eased when they hear the much-less-heralded Europa League anthem blaring out.

It's the Champions League tune they were expecting to hear again this season, and everything's fallen flat following the failure to make it to the big boys' playground.

Indeed, some fans still want heads to roll. The faces are prominently displayed on protest banners that now form part of the Celtic matchday experience.

It's highly likely there will be huge gaps in the stands. The electric charge that often sparks the stadium into life on European nights won't be as strong as usual.

This short-term pain could bring longer-term gain for Brendan Rodgers and his side, however. Take a look at some of the Champions League results. Real Madrid smashing five past Celtic's conquerors Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan.

Atletico Madrid taking five off recent Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt. A five-star showing too from Harry Kane and Bayern Munich in Pafos.

For teams not quite at the top level, the drop down to the Europa League may actually leave a soft landing and potential platform for improvement.

Even the most green-tinted of spectacles couldn't seriously contend that the current squad is equipped to take on Europe's elite.

Rodgers' men didn't look out of place in Belgrade last week though. Far from it. They created enough chances to win and could take solace in a good point gained on the road.

Braga shouldn't be too high a bar to get over either, particularly in Glasgow. They only have one win in their past five. It did come in this competition, against Feyenoord, so Celtic will still have to be on their game to win.

Should they do so, they'll have four points from six on the European front. A solid base for any team with eyes on the knockout phase.

It's then not beyond the realm of possibility that Celtic could put together a deep run in the tournament, if a couple of key players can be nursed back to fitness and the club recruits better in January.

Tonight's Europa League fanfare won't be music to anyone's ears inside the ground, but if it's still being played in the spring perhaps the refrain will become a little more catchy.

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Braga centre-half Gustaf Lagerbielke is relishing being back at Celtic Park as he dismissed any notion that his two years with the Scottish champions was a negative experience.

The Sweden international joined Celtic from Elfsborg in 2023 but made just 10 appearances for Brendan Rodgers' side, all in the 2023-24 campaign.

Lagerbielke spent last season on loan with Dutch side Twente before being sold to Braga in July.

The 25-year-old, whose stoppage-time goal against Feyenoord in December 2023 secured Celtic a first home win in the Champions League for a decade, has been handed a swift return to Glasgow with his Portuguese club in the Europa League on Thursday.

"It was a good year I had here, so it's nice to be back," he said. "If I summarise the two years, I would say that I learned a lot, both what it means to be part of a big club like Celtic and a lot of football stuff.

"Then, also in life, moving to another country and meeting new people and all of that.

"Then why it didn't work out? I would say it depends what you mean. During my season when I played, we won two titles [the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup], I met some incredible people and I learned a lot. I would say it was successful.

"The Feyenoord night was a good night. Scoring and winning [in the Champions League] for the first time in a while. Also winning the titles. Those were the biggest highlights."

Lagerbielke will face "very good player" and "good friend" Benjamin Nygren, the fellow Sweden international who joined Celtic this summer.

The centre-half has already accumulated more appearances for his new side, who sit seventh in the Primeira Liga, than he managed at Celtic.

"I'm very happy here, so far in Braga everything has been very good," he said.

Cluj would now accept less than £4.5m for 23-year-old striker Louis Munteanu, for whom Celtic reportedly had a £6.9m bid rejected in the summer before the Romanian club claimed a £17m transfer to Ajax or Valencia fell through, according to FCSB owner George Becali. (GSP via Daily Record), external

Brendan Rodgers is on course to leave Celtic at the end of the season, when his contract is set to expire, after contract talks collapsed last month amid a serious lack of investment in the manager's squad. (Football Insider), external

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers expects Paulo Bernardo to play a part in Thursday's Europa League match against Braga, saying the 23-year-old midfielder's lack of game time was due to injuries last season but that he is now fit. (Glasgow Times), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Further silent protests from a section of Celtic supporters have been cancelled after the Scottish champions' board agreed to a meeting to "discuss ongoing concerns about the running of the club".

The Celtic Collective, an umbrella group for fans' organisations, began with a 12-minute silence in Saturday's 0-0 draw against Hibs and had called for similar action in Thursday's game with Braga and Sunday's meeting with Motherwell.

Those have now been shelved, with chief executive Michael Nicholson and chief financial officer Chris McKay among those to meet representatives of the group on 6 October.

"We welcome the club's decision to meet and engage directly on the issues raised," read a statement from the collective. "However, we remain under no illusions about the scale of change still required at board level.

"As a result of this development, the planned continuation of the 'three-match silence' has been postponed, in good faith, in the hope and expectation that supporters will now receive full and honest communication from the club.

"We thank every supporter who has stood behind this campaign and helped bring the Celtic board to the table.

"Without this unity, it would not have been possible. It highlights the strength and influence of a united Celtic support.

"The Celtic Fans Collective will continue its campaign irrespective of the outcome of this meeting, with the clear aim of securing meaningful, positive change for the betterment of Celtic Football Club and its supporters."

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Kasper Schmeichel insists Celtic are over the disappointment of not reaching the Champions League and fully focused on making an impact in the Europa League.

Having opened with a 1-1 draw away to Red Star Belgrade, Celtic host Braga on Thursday.

"The Europa League is massively important, this is our reality," the veteran goalkeeper said. "We can't affect the past now, all we can go and do is do as well in this competition as possible, so it's absolutely vitally important for us.

"Any time you put on a Celtic shirt, you're expected to win, whether it's in Europa League, Champions League, whatever it is, you're expected to win, and that's the expectations that we have for ourselves.

"You have highs, you have lows. You have to learn to deal with them and move on very fast.

"We had to move on after not making the Champions League, and we had to refocus, and that's what we've done."

Scoring has been an issue for Celtic of late, but Denmark captain Schmeichel takes heart from the concession of just three goals from their 11 matches in all competitions.

"In the time I've been here, we've been very, very solid," he said. "I think any good team is built on a solid defence.

"As a team, we press very, very high up the pitch and we defend very, very well everywhere. We minimise chances for the opposition and I think we give ourselves a platform to go and win games, so I'm very, very happy with that."

Braga are winless in their past five matches in the Portuguese top flight but started their Europa League campaign with a 1-0 home win over Feyenoord.

"I think they'll be a tough team to play against, but I'm very confident that if we play up to our potential, then we'll be able to win the game," added Schmeichel.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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As he addressed the media at Celtic Park, Brendan Rodgers' mind drifted back a couple of times, possibly wistfully, to this time last year.

Celtic were flying high amid a dominant start to the domestic campaign allied to strong showings in the Champions League, particularly in the first home match in which five goals were put past Slovan Bratislava.

By contrast, Celtic have only scored once in three European outings this season. The Parkhead boss is adamant it's "not rocket science" as to why, alluding to the delay in sourcing adequate replacements for the departed Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn and the injured Jota.

"Of course we're not scoring as many goals as normal but the team is still showing a really resilient side," said Rodgers.

"We haven't lost this season. Defensively we're very strong. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand where and why we haven't got the goals, because a manager can always transform a team, but the trajectory of a team will always come down to the level of players that you have. That has not changed in football.

"It's not rocket science, it was the same way back years ago as to what it is now. The players ultimately will transform the trajectory of your football.

"So for us, we brought some new players in, we give them time to settle in. Once we've done that, we support them and the players that are here.

"We continue to work with them and look to push the levels as we go through the season."

Rodgers insists Celtic will give the Europa League their fullest attention, even if many supporters are at best ambivalent about European football's second-tier competition.

"It's very important," he said. "We didn't earn the right as a club to be in the Champions League. We wanted to be there but we're not.

"We're still in a prestigious competition, so for us as a team and coaches and players we really look forward to this challenge.

"We're going to come up against some really, really good teams. So for us, it's still a great tournament to be involved in."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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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.

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• 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

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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.

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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.

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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.