One of the most famous names in all of world football, Celtic FC looks set to claim a fifth straight Scottish Premiership and once again, the eyes of its fans will be on trying to secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League group stages.
Smart acquisitions such as Nadir Ciftci, formally of Dundee United, show that Ronny Deila means business. He has partnered Virgil van Dijk with Belgian Dedryck Boyata, a direct replacement for Jason Denayer, who has returned to Manchester City following a successful loan last season.
It cannot be understated that the club must make it into the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and this started with this morning’s 2-0 win over Stjarnan of Iceland in the second qualifying round. A victory over the two legs will see the Hoops progress into the third qualifying round and from there, it is just one hurdle away from the likes of Manchester United in the play-off stage.
Stjarnan came into the game at Celtic Park with just two wins in its last five matches in all competitions and siting sixth in the Urvalsdeid, amassing 15 points in 11 matches so far. It has to be said that it will have the advantage over the two legs in terms of fitness, as Celtic has only played preseason matches to this point.
This morning’s game saw 23-year-old Ciftci debut for the Hoops, being thrown immediately into the deep end in Europe. The Turk, however, would savour such battles and could immediately make himself known to those who worship the green and white, with a good performance against a team that will be intimidated by the atmosphere that only Celtic Park can muster on European nights.
https://youtu.be/7Zr1Jy5fd0A
If Celtic does somehow mismanage itself into spinning out of Europe, then the season is almost over before it has even begun.
Deila proved to be a shrewd manager who won fans over incredibly quickly, even though some doubted his appointment early on last season. An almost treble-winning campaign has quickly settled the doubters and if Deila integrates his new signings into the team, this Celtic side will make a mark in this season’s Champions League group stage.
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The Scottish Premiership welcomes back Hearts this season and it would be no surprise if they were to be the team to run Celtic closest this year. The race may well be over before Easter, and as it has been for the previous four seasons, it is a case of when, not if, the green and white ribbons get tied around the trophy.
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