Celtic

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Belgrade

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Brendan Rodgers will lead his Celtic side into one of the most intimidating arenas in Europe when they enter the imposing Rajko Mitic Stadium tonight.

Red Star Belgrade's failure to get into the Champions League was caused, in part, by selling a lot of the family silver in the summer as they brought in more than £40m, including the sales of 18-year-old pair Velijko Milosavlejvic to Bournemouth and Andrija Maksimovic to RB Leipzig.

However, there remains plenty for Celtic to concern themselves with.

That is certainly true of veteran Aleksandar Katai, who has already amassed 12 goals in 13 games from midfield having scored 19 last term as they racked up an eighth successive Serbian title.

On Saturday evening, as they defeated neighbours and bitter rivals Partizan in the 'Eternal Derby', Katai formed part of an attacking four with highly-rated 17-year-old Vasilije Kostov, Montenegro's Mirko Ivanic - who has seven goals himself this term - and former West Ham and Stoke striker Marko Arnautovic.

The latter arrived at the club in the summer amid a sea of emotion, having promised his former Bologna head coach and Red Star great Mihajlovic that he would sign for the club before the end of his career.

Mihajlovic died of leukaemia in 2022 and Austrian Arnautovic was in tears at his own unveiling as he regaled the story as it came true.

For Celtic, this will be another major test of their poor away European form as they look to start their Europa League campaign in a positive manner by taking on a side that has, incredibly, lost just five league games in the past five seasons.

It is also a club that is desperate to shine brightly on the continental stage once more.

Read more: Celtic face daunting trip to storied Red Star

We asked for your views on whether the returning Anthony Ralston should replace 19-year-old deputy Colby Donovan at right-back for Celtic's Europa League opener at Red Star Belgrade.

Here are some of your comments:

Barry: Ralston is vastly experienced. Donovan is vastly inexperienced. Assuming he's back to full fitness, there is no question but that he gets his place back. Donovan has proved an excellent understudy. But no more than that. By the time Alistair Johnston leaves us Donovan might - at that stage - be the ready replacement. However, it would be unfair to play him in Belgrade because it will be a risk not just for himself but for the team.

Jim: The youngster should start, he deserves it.

Davie: Donovan hasn't put a foot wrong. The only reason he should lose his place is lack of experience but he's far better going forward and the end product is better than Ralston. He should keep his place.

Mark: Donovan to start.

Rory: Ralston is more effective going forward.

Celtic are highly unlikely to be able to sign Raheem Sterling on loan or permanently as they could only probably contribute a small percentage of the £300,000-per-week the out-of-favour winger earns as Chelsea's highest-paid player. (Football Insider), external

A supercomputer has predicted that Rangers will finish 16th in the Europa League, with Celtic back in 21st. (Scottish Sun), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Brendan Rodgers referenced Celtic's run to Seville in 2003 as his side look to make up for Champions League failure by having a "real good go" in the Europa League this season.

Having dropped into the secondary competition following the play-off loss on penalties to Kairat Almaty, Rodgers' side get under way against Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian capital on Wednesday night.

The club's run to the Uefa Cup final 22 years ago came after they crashed to Basel in the Champions League play-offs.

"We have to forget about the Champions League," manager Rodgers said. "That's gone. We can't look back.

"It's very much looking forward to the future and how we can improve on and off the pitch.

"On the pitch there's been some incredible memories for people, and 2003 came off the back of disappointment in not qualifying.

"So it's going to be a great tournament, great games. I'm really looking forward to the coaching challenge within that, seeing the guys operate at this level. And we know that we can have a really good possibility this season to do really well.

"We want to have a real good go at this competition. In the Champions League last season, we were competitive, which is what we wanted to be.

"And likewise in this tournament we feel that we can, with the improvements that we will make as the season goes on, but obviously starting [Wednesday] night, we really want to push to do well. And we feel we can do."

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Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for their first Europa League league stage game against Red Star.

Here are the main points from his news conference:

• Rodgers stresses his side "have to move on" from the disappointment of missing out on the Champions League this season and is confident they can "do well" in the Europa League.

• Despite unrest among the Celtic support towards the club's board, the manager believes the fans will "focus on the football" tomorrow night and remains hopeful "we will all come together" in the future.

• After a competitive display in last season's Champions League, Rodgers wants Celtic to "have a real good go" in the Europa League.

• But the Northern Irishman isn't looking too far ahead in the competition, insisting "you have to earn the right" to do so "by winning games".

• Rodgers adds a win tomorrow night would be "the first step" on their European journey but admits he's "not putting too much emphasis on it".

• Rodgers feels Red Star will be "a real good test" but believes his side are "up for the challenge".

• Despite Anthony Ralston being back in training, Rodgers says he would have "no hesitation" throwing Colby Donovan in from the start tomorrow night and praised the 19-year-old's mindset.

• The Celtic manager is expecting an intense atmosphere in Serbia but is urging his players to "embrace it", adding he'll need to keep his half-time talk brief given the long walk from the dressing room to the pitch.

• Team news: Ralston is back in training while Auston Trusty will join the squad on Friday.

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Belgrade

Image source, Getty Images

Red Star Belgrade manager Vladan Milojevic has described Europa League opponents Celtic as an "exceptional" team prior to the sides' meeting in Serbia on Wednesday.

Like the Scottish champions, Red Star were eliminated from the Champions League at the play-off stage, slipping up against Cypriots Pafos over two legs, but have been dominant domestically for the past eight seasons.

"These are special games," Milojevic said. "Especially when you play games like this, we are teams that participated in the Champions League last year so we have a lot of games against teams who could be in that competition.

"We are representing Serbia and the city of Belgrade. I am really glad we have teams like this coming to Belgrade as it has been a long time since Celtic were here.

"They are a strong, exceptional team.

"The inspiration is always playing such matches against, I repeat, an exceptional opponent. Celtic are playing well in their own league.

"They have a great coach who was working in the English Premier League."

Celtic dropped into the Europa League after defeat by Kazakh side Kairat Almaty - but Milojevic is anticipating an "interesting test" against a "dominant" team.

"Celtic was favourite in those games and have much better qualities than Kairat," he added.

"They played those two games and I don't want to say anything bad about the Kairat team but it was not the right parameters.

"They have had certain issues, but at the beginning of our championships we also had issues.

"On the other hand a lot of journalists from Serbia have been asking me who is the favourite? In my opinion, there is no favourite in football.

"On paper you can write what you want but Celtic is a team that was made for participation in the Champions League. It is dominant and strong.

"It'll be an interesting game in any case and a good game."

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Anthony Ralston has returned to training as Celtic prepare to open their Europa League campaign against Red Star Belgrade in Serbia on Wednesday night.

The 26-year-old right-back has missed the past two Celtic games as well as Scotland's opening World Cup qualifying double-header with a foot injury, but was back among his team-mates at Celtic Park on Tuesday morning.

After Celtic dispatched Partick Thistle 4-0 to reach the Premier Sports Cup semi-final on Sunday, manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed Ralston would train before the trip to Belgrade, but also stressed he had to fight for his place with Colby Donovan.

The 19-year-old has impressed while deputising for Ralston and long-term injury victim Alistair Johnston in recent weeks.

Should Donovan keep his place and be handed a European debut in Belgrade? Or is experienced Ralston a must-pick?

Let us know your thoughts here.

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• Celtic have met Red Star twice before in major European competition, winning a last-16 tie 6-2 on aggregate in the European Cup in 1968-69.

• In six previous European meetings with Serbian sides (including games as Yugoslavia) W3 D1), Celtic have won three, lost two and drawn one, failing to win any of their three away matches during that time.

• Red Star have lost just two of their past 13 home games in the Europa League (W8 D3), winning five of seven since September 2021.

• This will be Celtic's first appearance in the Europa League since 2021-22, winning three of their past four games in the competition (L1) though they were still eliminated from the group stage on that occasion.

• Red Star goalkeeper Matheus has made the fifth most starts (59) in Europa League history (2009-10 onwards) and the only goalkeeper with more starts is Rui Patricio (69).

The agent of David Strelec, who was a signing target for Celtic in January but was transferred to Middlesbrough this summer by Slovan Bratislava, has criticised scouts for underestimating the Slovakian league and making it more difficult for the 24-year-old striker to secure a transfer to a top European club. (Glasgow Times), external

Former Celtic full-back Mikael Lustig has launched his own golf channel on YouTube after retiring from football. (Sportbladet), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Former Celtic striker Cillian Sheridan was impressed by winger Sebastian Tounekti's display against Partick Thistle on Sunday, but does not think him being a success story will change supporters' opinions on how the club is being run.

Tounekti was signed on deadline day from Hammarby after Celtic were knocked out of Champions League qualifying by Kazakh side Kairat Almaty.

He has been named player of the match in both his Celtic appearances so far and scored his first goal for the club as Brendan Rodgers' side beat Thistle to reach the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals.

However, fans continued to protest against the club's board after a summer transfer window that fell well short of their expectations.

"They looked more like the Celtic of old," Sheridan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "Tounekti looks like a really good player and seemed to have a good understanding with Kieran Tierney.

"He looks like a clever player, not trying to do it all himself. He knows when to play a pass, when to lay it off.

"He looks to be a real positive light out of a transfer window most Celtic supporters don't want to talk about."

Despite another excellent performance from Tounekti, Celtic fans at Firhill called for change in the boardroom.

"I don't think anyone will be happier than the board at how well Tounekti has done," Sheridan said.

"They needed a new signing to be a shining light and they probably hope if the team keep winning it will get forgotten about.

"That doesn't seem to be the case. Celtic fans are adamant they are going to continue and want change."

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Winger Sebastian Tounekti says the freedom manager Brendan Rodgers has given him to express himself means he has fallen in love instantly with life at Celtic.

The Tunisia winger has earned two player-of-the-match awards from his first two matches for his new club since signing from Hammarby on deadline day.

Rodgers gave Tounekti a hug of appreciation as he was replaced after starring in the League Cup win against Partick Thistle - a game that included a first goal for Celtic following a nice combination with fellow new signing Kelechi Iheanacho.

"It was amazing to get my first Celtic goal," Tounekti - who was described as a "real Celtic winger" by Rodgers - told the club's YouTube channel.

"Those were nice words from the gaffer. I feel like I am a confident player. I like to play with a lot of confidence and the style of play is fitting me really well.

"One of the reasons I wanted to come to Celtic was the freedom I get. I'm really happy, and happy to help the team to win games.

"It's been a pleasure from the start at Celtic. It's been really easy to adapt because I have so many good team-mates and staff."

Tounekti rejected interest from other clubs to sign a five-year deal with Celtic in the final moments of the summer transfer window.

The 23-year-old arrived after Celtic had been knocked out of the Champions League, but the forward is relishing the chance to play in the Europa League with his new club.

Celtic face Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday in the first of their games in the league phase of the Europa League, with matches against Sporting Braga, Sturm Graz, Midtjylland, Feyenoord, Roma, Bologna and Utrecht to follow.

"I'm really looking forward to it - one of the reasons I wanted to come to Celtic was to play matches like these," added

"Everyone wants to play in Europe and I'm really looking forward to playing in the Europa League with Celtic."

We asked for your thoughts after Celtic beat Partick Thistle 4-0 to reach the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals.

Here's what some of you said:

Michael: Wonderful team performance. Sebastian Tounekti has doubled his transfer fee in two games. Kelechi Iheanacho has a great first touch - exactly what we needed up front to hold it up. If he can get his pace up by a yard or two, he will be a terrific asset for the team.

SPB: The midfield that closed out the game should be close to the starting midfield. Luke McCowan has far more forward ideas than Callum McGregor and it's becoming more evident.

Steven: Tounekti is a breath of fresh air, a winger capable of beating a man and getting a ball in. Why was this deal not completed earlier? I'm sure every Celtic fan is asking the same question. Nothing is dull with him on the field.

Manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted his frustration that Sebastian Tounekti was signed after the Champions League qualifier and says the Celtic board is aware of the error. (Premier Sports via The Herald)

Rodgers says Tounekti has "come in really aggressive" to Celtic and says he is excited for the impact the winger can make. (The Scotsman)

Celtic fans group the Celtic Trust have accused chairman Peter Lawwell of "gaslighting" supporters after his statement following their annual results. (Scottish Sun)

Celtic and Rangers fans' protests are "tedious, ugly and classless". (Scottish Sun)

Celtic will face teams of a higher calibre in the Europa League than Kairat Almaty and they must guard against further "reputational damage" after their Champions League "humiliation". (Daily Record)

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies has jumped to Kyogo Furuhashi's defence after the ex-Celtic striker's slow start down to the season. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

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Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers tells BBC Scotland: "I was really pleased with the performance and the result.

"You have to be really professional and we were. The players passed it well and created some really good moments in the game.

"We're building. It's hard to go through nine months in the season being hot. With everything going on in the window it's taken some time for players to come in. I can see the fluency and the rhythm of the team growing each day."

On Sebastian Tounekti: "He's the type of player that Celtic supporters love. He's good on one-v-one. He can go either side, run in behind without the ball and he works very hard. It was nice for him get the goal and I'm really pleased for him.

"He's what we want and that was the pleasing aspect today. We had variety in our performance and how we attacked the game."

Celtic have been drawn against Rangers for the semi-final on the Premier Sports Cup, which will be played at Hampden on the weekend of 1/2 November.

"Our objective is to get to the final," he added.

"Both teams will be giving everything to get through but there's a lot of football before that."

Goals from Yang Hyun-Jun, Liam Scales, Sebastian Tounekti and substitute Luke McCowan gave Celtic a dominant win against Championship side Partick Thistle to progress to the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.

Have your say on the game.

Read the match report.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, who worked with Raheem Sterling at Liverpool, could be the pivotal factor in enticing the 30-year-old out-of-favour winger to leave Chelsea for the Scottish champions in a surprise move in the upcoming transfer windows. (Football Insider), external

Celtic could be bracing themselves for offers from Premier League clubs for Canada right-back Alistair Johnston after the 26-year-old said it would be a dream of any player to move to England. (Football Insider), external

Paul Lambert, who captained Celtic in the 2003 Uefa Cup final loss to Porto, is backing the Scottish champions to have a good run in the Europa League, while describing a club insider briefing against Brendan Rodgers as "absolutely criminal".(Daily Record), external

Red Star Belgrade are giving free tickets to blood donors for their Europa League opener at home to Celtic next week. (The Herald on Sunday), external

Celtic supporters have united to create the Celtic Fans Collective representative body, led by a steering group including fan media, supporter groups and active support groups, to hold the Scottish champions to account. (The Herald On Sunday), external

The new Celtic Fans Collective pressure group has been formed with the stated aim of removing club chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson from the board. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), external

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Michel-Ange Balikwisha is undoubtedly best playing as a left winger, according to Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.

Balikwisha signed on deadline day from Antwerp and has featured twice for Rodgers since.

The former Belgium Under-21 international started the goalless draw against Rangers on the left flank, before switching to the right against Kilmarnock to accommodate fellow new signing Sebastian Tounekti.

However, Rodgers suggested Balikwisha will predominantly feature on his favoured left side.

"The boy's a left-sided player," Rodgers said. "He's a really technically gifted player. He has great football qualities.

"His best side is on the left , but he's played in other positions. He's played on the right previously in his career, he's played as a 10 and he's played as an eight. So he's played across that front line.

"I wanted to see him on that right side, but there's no doubt his best position is from the left. And even if Sebastian is to play there and he sits out a game or whatever else, we still need two really impactful wingers that can play."

Rodgers admits the signing of Balikwisha was influenced in part by the prospective sale of Daizen Maeda, which did not transpire.

"We thought Daizen was gone," Rodgers said. "So we needed to make sure we were covered. Obviously, we weren't able to get what we wanted on the right side.

"So I wanted to try him. And we're in this process of finding out about players because they're just in the door. But there's no doubt he's much more comfortable on the left side."

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Partick Thistle boss Mark Wilson has dismissed suggestions it may be a good time to face Celtic as the sides prepare to meet in Sunday's League Cup quarter-final.

It's been a rocky start to the season for the Scottish champions, with fans voicing their displeasure at the board after Celtic came unstuck in Champions League qualifying at the hands of Kairat Almaty.

Performances domestically have also been unconvincing, though Brendan Rodgers' side remain top of the Premiership table on goal difference from Hearts.

"When is a good time to get a team like Celtic? They've got so much quality," Wilson told BBC Scotland.

"Even last week, when it looks like it's just going to go Kilmarnock's way and they're going to get a draw, they've got that power to keep going (and win 2-1).

"They've got so much quality. I don't think there is a good time to get this Celtic side.

"Brendan Rodgers, of course, may be frustrated with what's happened behind the scenes, but I think when he looks at what's on the pitch, I think he'll be pretty sure that he's got a decent enough squad to win all these trophies domestically.

"We're the next one in his way and I hope we can put up a good fight. We're optimistic, but realistic at the same time.

"It's a home game and myself and the team approach every home game the same. We see it as an opportunity to go and try and win.

"The competition is top notch, which brings its difficulties, but stranger things have happened in football. We're certainly not turning up here to make up the numbers and just go through the motions."