After a disastrous 3-0 cup exit at Ibrox, attention turns to tomorrow night's Europa League opener against Ferencvaros, with Martin O'Neill managing seven unavailable players and wrestling with selection as Celtic look to bounce back.
Celtic face Hungarian club Ferencvaros in their Europa League League Phase opener at Celtic Park on Wednesday 17 September at 20:00 UK time. Ferencvaros arrive in excellent form, having demolished DEAC 7-0 on Saturday and won their last five league matches. Celtic will be without seven players due to injury, suspension and international duty, forcing O'Neill into difficult selection calls.
Source: The Scotsman
Martin O'Neill has admitted uncertainty over his strongest XI as summer signings settle and key players work their way back from injury. The manager expressed being "pleased" with summer business that brought in Oliver Sørensen, Joel van den Berg and others, but has precious little time to bed them in before facing Rangers at Celtic Park on Sunday 20 September.
Source: Sky Sports
Chris Sutton has criticised Celtic's summer window for failing to land a defensive midfielder to match the quality of Neil Lennon, questioning the "strange" pursuit of Lithuania's Gvidas Gineitis and arguing that incoming options Sørensen and van den Berg are not direct answers to Celtic's midfield struggles.
Source: Celts Are Here
Sam Johnstone is set to arrive on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton, though Sutton finds the deal "interesting" as Viljami Sinisalo remains first-choice at Celtic Park.
Source: 67 Hail Hail
Colombian forward Camilo Duran has earned Scottish Premiership Player of the Month for August after an impressive start to life at Celtic.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor has slammed his team as "a team of individuals" following the 3-0 League Cup quarter-final defeat at Ibrox on Sunday 13 September, adding pressure on O'Neill before the European fixture.
Celtic Quick News and The Celtic Star have conducted extensive analysis of how the middle three of Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren and Mika Baur failed to shield the defence at Ibrox, with the midfield's inability to control the tempo now the focus of fan channel debate heading into the Ferencvaros match.
Source: Celtic Quick News, The Celtic Star
Fan channels are framing Wednesday's Ferencvaros match as a chance for Celtic to prove character and intensity still exist after Sunday's dispiriting display. Despite the cup exit, supporter reaction reflects pragmatism about the opportunity to rediscover form before facing Rangers again on Sunday.
Source: Celtic fan channels
After matches of Sunday 14 September
| # | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic | 6 | 11 | 18 |
| 2 | Rangers | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 3 | Hearts | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 4 | St Mirren | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Motherwell | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 | Dundee | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 7 | St Johnstone | 6 | -1 | 7 |
| 8 | Hibernian | 5 | -2 | 6 |
| 9 | Dundee United | 6 | -5 | 5 |
| 10 | Aberdeen | 5 | -5 | 4 |
| 11 | Falkirk | 5 | -4 | 2 |
| 12 | Kilmarnock | 5 | -10 | 1 |