Celtic must build for success, not prepare for Champions League failure

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·16 Juli 2025

Celtic must build for success, not prepare for Champions League failure

Celtic are in action this evening playing Portuguese Champions Sporting at the Estádio do Algarve before returning to Scotland tomorrow where Brendan Rodgers side will prepare for Saturday’s friendly at Celtic Park against English League Cup holders Newcastle United. Both opponents are assured their place in the Champions League this season, Celtic have to qualify in the play-offs.

Brendan Rodgers. Queen’s Park 0-1 Celtic. 4 July 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Video OneFootball

It’s all part of the Celtic preparations for the start of the new season and in particular the first month of the campaign where there are some notable fixtures in the Scottish Premiership – trips to both Pittodrie to face Scottish Cup holders Aberdeen on Sunday 10 August and also to Ibrox to take on theRangers who are now under new management in both the boardroom and the dugout, where former Southampton boss Russell Martin is picking the team. That Glasgow Derby match is on Sunday 31 August.

Celtic’s risky Champions League Play-offs

While in domestic football both those away fixtures are massive in terms of Celtic’s defence of the title however neither rate as the club’s biggest matches of the first month of the 2025/26 campaign. That’s due to Celtic, unlike in recent years, being back to having to play a UEFA Champions League play-off round to reach the Group Stages.

Celtic players pose for a photo on pitch prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

The financial impact on this is upwards of £30million and it would cast a massive cloud over the entire season if Celtic fail to navigate a way through these tricky matches to reach the group stages, where Brendan Rodgers’ side showed up reasonably well last season, making it through to the play-off round and giving Bayern Munich a huge fright in their own stadium. It would be a huge gamble trying to navigate through to the Champions League with the squad as it currently stands, look at it this way, a guide to online casinos will always advise against recklessness at the table so why would the Celtic Board take such a huge risk when so much money is at stake?

It begs the question: Are they simply preparing for failure?

Of course we don’t know yet who Celtic’s opponents will be as the earlier qualifying rounds will determine that. The draw for Celtic’s Champions League play-off is on Monday, 4 August The first leg of the play-off will then take place on Tuesday, 19 August or 20 Wednesday, and the return tie will be played the following week, on Tuesday, 26 August or Wednesday, 27 August.

In terms of personnel Celtic have lost former talisman Kyogo who was sold to Rennes for £10m in January 2025 then subsequently moved on by the French outfit to English Championship side Birmingham City, who are managed by former Celtic Assistant Manager Chris Davies.

Celtic this month sold Nicolas Kuhn to Como for £17m

Nicolas Kuhn scores during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Also gone is Nicolas Kuhn, perhaps Celtic’s top performer in the Champions League last season scoring three goals with a memorable double against RB Leipzig and a wonderful strike against Bayern Munich. The German winger was this month sold to Italian side Como for £17m.

Kuhn played on the right wing and Celtic clearly need a replacement for him and also for Kyogo, although Adam Idah has a reasonable case for being considered the number one striker at Celtic in the new season.

No Kyogo, no Jota and no Kuhn so where are the replacements?

Playing on Celtic’s left wing in Munich was Portuguese winger Jota, who returned to Celtic from Rennes in January, with Kyogo heading in the other direction. Jota unfortunately picked up an ACL injury in April at Tannadice against Dundee United on the day Celtic wrapped up the title. Jota will not play football again this year so Brendan Rodgers needs to add to that side of the attack too.

Daizen Maeda in action in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Daizen Maeda stepped in from the left when Kyogo left and as sensational as a striker so he can challenge Idah for the starting role as a number nine or move back to the left-wing where this season he will have Kieran Tierney playing behind him at left back rather than Greg Taylor who has left the club after six years to sign for Greek side PAOK.

Celtic’s transfer activity so far has been underwhelming with various project signings coming in and only Sweden international forward Benjamin Nygren likely to be involved in those four matches in August – three of which will be away from home – that will very much shape Celtic’s season.

It’s fair to say that the Celtic Board, with over £100m resting in the Celtic PLC bank account, are causing some concern among the support that Brendan Rodgers, who is going into the last of his three year contract, is not backed sufficiently.

Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay watch on during the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Quarter-Final match between Celtic and Hibernian at Celtic Park on March 09, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic’s transfer activity in the second half of July could have a huge impact on the outcome of the four massive matches in August. If the Celtic Board fail to bring in the players the manager wants and the support demands they risk things go badly as a result.