We are off! Celtic in their traditional green and white hoops, the home side in black.

Chris McLaughlin
BBC Sport in Azerbaijan

"An incredible wall of noise and colour here. This has an old school Euro tie feel. Strap yourselves in, here we go."

And what about the stadium name? Do I really need to tell you who Tofiq Bahramov is?

He is the Azerbaijani, often referred to as the "Russian linesman", who helped award England's highly contentious third goal in the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley.

Image source, Getty Images

Never in, was it? And don't get me started on the fourth - a pitch invasion in full swing...

Celtic captain Scott Brown

"The Champions League is huge for this club, it's where we belong.

"You have to trust in your defence, midfield and strike force and let everyone do their job. We defend well as a team and we can keep a clean sheet and score."

Brown was talking yesterday, he is out on the pitch now, leading the exchange of handshakes. Not long to go until kick-off...

Image source, SNS Group

The home fans are making a good noise ahead of kick-off. It looks like 'taps aff' is de rigueur in Baku at this time of year. Has BBC Radio Scotland match commentator Liam McLeod ditched his simmet yet?

This time last year, Celtic thought they were out of the Champions League after a 6-1 aggregate tanking from Legia Warsaw. However, they were granted a reprieve when it transpired the Poles had fielded a suspended player. They could not benefit further from that break as they lost out to Maribor in the play-off round, entering the Europa League and reaching the last 32.

Azerbaijan champions for the last two seasons, Qarabag beat Rudar Pljevlja of Macedonia 1-0 on aggregate in the previous round, while Celtic were making light work of Stjarnan.

And the hosts have a pretty handy European record of late. Last year, they beat Salzburg at this stage of Champions League qualifying and were denied a group place on away goals against Dutch club FC Twente. In their Europa League group they were unbeaten at home against Saint-Etienne, Inter Milan and eventual runners-up Dnipro.

Celtic boss Ronny Deila on BBC Radio Scotland

"There is always pressure. This is a big, big match for us and we are well prepared. We need a good performance and, if we get that, I'm confident we'll get through."

Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner on BBC Radio Scotland

"I'm not surprised Ciftci is starting. He has to hold the ball up well tonight and Celtic need to get players up to support him."

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These chaps are opting for the traditional Scottish method of keeping hydrated in warmer climes. I hope they are taking on water too and slapping on some sun block or they might be out for the count by half-time...

In this soggiest of summers, it was a rare pleasant evening when Qarabag visited Scotland last week but the sultry weather in Baku is a different story altogether. The good news for the travelling team is that the temperature has dipped significantly to a mere 30C and there is a gentle breeze.

BBC Scotland's Chris McLaughlin on Twitter: "Half an hour before kick off and already very noisy here. @BBCSportsound on air shortly #Celtic v #Qarabag"

Image source, SNS Group

The man tasked with sorting out the scorched grass at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium is none other than Scotsman Stevie MacKinnon.

The former head groundsman at Hamilton Accies was brought in after a shoddy re-turfing job following the recent European Games.

BBC Radio Scotland coverage will begin at 17:00. Former Celtic goalie Pat Bonner joins commentator Liam McLeod on a balmy night in Baku.

The recent Azerbaijani heat wave led to concerns about the state of the pitch at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium. However, Celtic trained on it last night and manager Ronny Deila was not overly concerned.

"It is not a perfect pitch of course," said the Norwegian. "But we are used to playing on those types of pitches in Scotland in the winter so we have to make the best of the situation.

"This is how it is in football, sometimes you have different conditions and you have to handle that."

Celtic: Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, Van Dijk, Izaguirre; Brown, Bitton; Mackay-Steven, Johansen, Armstrong; Ciftci. Subs: Ambrose, Griffiths, Commons, Rogic, Janko, Bailly, Forrest.

Nadir Ciftci, who started a a six-game domestic suspension at the weekend, will lead the Celtic attack. The Turk has yet to find the net in three European ties since his move from Dundee United.

Midfielder Nir Bitton has recovered from ankle injury after sitting out Saturday's 2-0 win over Ross County. Charlie Mulgrew did not travel as he recovers from a knee problem.

Image source, SNS Group

Celtic take a 1-0 lead to Baku for this afternoon's Champions League qualifier against Qarabag, with a place in the play-off round up for grabs. Dedryk Boyata grabbed a vital late goal in Glasgow to give the visitors a slender advantage.