Like Celtic counterpart Ange Postecoglou, AZ head coach Pascal Jansen has had a globetrotting time in coaching after his playing career, including with AZ and Ajax youths, was ended before it started through injury.

After spells with Al Jazira and Al Wahda in United Arab Emirates, the 48-year-old had a spell as a youth coach with PSV Eindhoven and AZ's backroom staff before being promoted on a temporary basis in December after his predecessor, Arne Slot, lined up a move to Feyenoord.

Some impressive runs of form led to a longer-term contract, but he faces a big test having lost some of his best players this summer.

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James McFadden
Former Scotland forward on BBC Scotland

A reminder that Ange Postecoglou has made one change from Sunday's 3-2 Premiership win over Hearts.

Israeli winger Liel Abada comes in for striker Odsonne Edouard after recovering from injury, while attacking midfielder Ryan Christie is again missing through injury.

Celtic: Hart, Ralston, Welsh, Starfelt, Taylor, McGregor, Turnbull, Forrest, Rogic, Abada, Kygo.

Substitutes: Bain, Barkas, Urhoghide, Montgomery, McCarthy, Bitton, Robertson, Shaw, Soro, Ajeti, Edouard.

AZ Alkmaar: Verhulst, Martins Indi, Letschert, Oosting, Sugawara, Midtsjoe, de Wit, Teun Koopmeiners, Pavlidis, Gudmundsson, Aboukhlal.

Substitutes: Vindahl-Jensen, Reus, Witry, Chatzidiakos, Beukema, Gullit, Clasie, Reijnders, Evjen, Peer Koopmeiners, Taabouni, Poku.

BBC Radio Scotland coverage of tonight's game has just begun on MW and digital.

Joining host Richard Gordon are former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner and ex-Scotland forward James McFadden.

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Celtic have added winger Liel Abada, striker Kyogo Furuhashi, goalkeeper Joe Hart, midfielders Bosun Lawal, James McCarthy and Liam Shaw, as well as defenders Carl Starfelt and Osaze Urhoghide this summer.

Now Legia Warsaw head coach Czesław Michniewicz has been quoting as confirming that Croatia right-back Josip Juranovic is poised to be transferred to the Glasgow club.

Manager Ange Postecoglou has already said they are "very close to a few deals" for new players.

We'll be hearing more from him soon hopefully, but what do Celtic fans make of the prospect of Juranovic challenging Tony Ralston for that full-back position. Thumbs up if it excites you, thumbs down if not.

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AZ's success last season led to the sale of top scorer, Myron Boadu, along with two fellow Netherlands internationals, winger Calvin Stengs and goalkeeper Marco Bizot, plus Norway right-back Jonas Svensson.

Captain Teun Koopmeiners could be next, with Atalanta and Rennes circling. The midfielder started on the bench as AZ lost to Waalwijk on Sunday, but he has declared himself ready to start at Celtic Park.

It leaves a fairly young squad, with 21-year-old Morocco forward Zakaria Aboukhlal and 17-year-old winger Ernest Poku among those to look out for.

Among the summer signings was Bruno Martins Indi, the 29-year-old centre-half who last played for Netherlands in 2017 and whose loan deal from Stoke City was made permanent.

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Like Celtic, AZ have a decent European record.

They lost to Ipswich Town in the 1981 Uefa Cup final and reached the semi-finals in 2005 after beating Rangers in the group stage.

They have reached the Europa League last 32 and group stage in the past two years. In the group stage last season, they beat Napoli and Rijeka, who knocked Hibernian out of qualifying this season, but finishing third.

Who will be heading to the group stage this time - thumbs up for Celtic, thumbs down for AZ. Get voting...

You don't have to go back to the 1967 European Cup final and all that to know about Celtic's proud history in European competition.

Although they have never quite again matched the Lisbon Lions, and in recent years have been battling the ever-growing gulf between the elite leagues and the rest, the Glasgow club have now qualified for the group stage of one of the European competitions 10 seasons in a row.

They are looking to reach the Europa League groups for a fourth successive season, but Ferencvaros and Sparta Prague were among the sides that turned Celtic over on their own patch last season and they will have to be on their guard against the dangerous Dutch tonight.

AZ finished third in the Dutch Eredivisie last season, a point behind PSV Eindhoven, and were joint top with Ajax when the previous campaign was ended after 25 games.

This season, they recorded promising pre-season friendly victories over OFI Crete, Real Sociedad and Torino, only to be brought down to earth by their opening competitive league defeat at the weekend, when they lost 1-0 away to a Waalwijk side who only avoided relegation on goal difference last term.

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It seems like only yesterday when there was talk of a crisis at Celtic Park after their Champions League exit to Midtjylland and opening Premiership defeat by Hearts in Ange Postecoglou's first games in charge.

The signing of Kyogo Furuhashi appears to have been the catalyst to the four consecutive wins that have followed, scoring 16 goals in the process and with the Japan striker contributing five of them.

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Straight into the team news and the headline news for Celtic is the return from injury of Israeli winger Liel Abada in place of French striker Odsonne Edouard.

The Ange Postecoglou revolution appears to be well under way at Celtic Park.

Tonight, however, it faces a major test in the shape of AZ Alkmaar with a place in the Europa League group stage up for grabs.

Stay with us for the build-up, live commentary and post-match reaction from the first leg in Glasgow.

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