Celtic In Europe 2025/26

If we qualify, you can almost guarantee a fixture list from *.

We've had ridiculous luck and favourable draws in recent years. Really haven't taken advantage of it to be honest.

Real Madrid
Leipzig
Shakhtar Donetsk
Atletico Madrid
Lazio
Feyenoord
Slovan Bratislava
Borussia Dortmund
Atalanta
Leipzig
Club Brugge
Dinamo Zagreb
Young Boys
Aston Villa
Bayern Munich

I'd argue the teams I've bolded were the only "elite" teams we faced at the time of the fixture.

 

I’d add Dortmund to that list, finalists just the year before were they not? Aston Villa are a good side but agreed not elite.

But I agree especially the year before under Ange we did not do as well as we should have done in the group stage.

This year I mean it would be nitpicking but the only result that irks me is the Zagreb away game we should have got 3 points and I’m not sure who we could have drawn if we finished with two more points vs Bayern.

Brugge were seriously underestimated and were a quality team and a draw even at home was not a bad result.

The pots this year look harder, probably because of how many teams are qualifying from top 4 leagues now. Pot 1 is horrifying, pot 2 there’s like only two teams I’d want, pot 3 and 4 are better but still some teams you want to avoid like Newcastle in pot 4 and Monaco.

If we qualify which is still an if, we’d need 10/11 points likely so we would need 3 wins at home with a few draws sprinkled in. Tough ask because the big guns won’t be so bad this time in the league phase. That may mean though the points total could be lower to qualify in 24th if there are less shocks.

 

It'll be tough no matter who we get but there are teams I totally want to avoid such as PSG, Barca, Chelsea(for obvious reasons) and Liverpool from pot 1.

 

Will worry about that if and when we get there. It’s impossible to tell who is a good or bad draw just now if someone told you Man City or Real wouldn’t have been a bad draw this time last year you would have laughed, yet both stuttered through the league phase, PSG too.

We definitely got a favourable draw and it is unlikely to be anywhere near as kind again. The other thing I would say is last year we were bottom of pot 3 ranked so not far outside the top 24 in the competition where this year we will likely be 30th or below to start.

 

Wanna bet if us and them qualify we will be drawn against Maccabi Tel Aviv

 

Wonder if the board will organise another tifo

 

The Zionist * have to go through 2 qualifiers to get there which is highly unlikely. What you are looking at is projected opponents assuming all seeded teams go through.

 

We made steady progression in Europe this season but I’d be very surprised if we made any further progress with the current squad next season, we need to strengthen.

When Rodgers was announced a couple of years ago we all would have hoped we would make big improvements each season and now going into most probably his last season we would be in a position to make a impact in Europe that we haven’t seen for a good while. However I don’t see it, we have too many players that are unreliable, they can be good but they can also be either awful or totally anonymous. Players like Idah, Engels, Khun and even Hatate are just as likely to be rotten as they are to be good. Was hoping Rodgers would have had us in a better position than this going into his third season.

 

When Hatate and Kuhn hit top form they are champions league level. Ive not seen that yet from Engles or Idah. Although i hold out more hope for Engles.

 

To continue to progress in Europe, or if we over achieved this season and to stay at that level we need:

1. Partner for CCV
2. Solid left back alternative to KT. Unreasonable to expect him to play 40+ games.
3. Pace and power in number 6. Can play double pivot with McGregor or Engles
4. Attacking midfielder with an eye for pass and goal. A MOR replacement if you will. (I understand a CM will need to move on to sign two. Id prefer Bernardo over Hatate, but accept if he wants to go.
5. We need a RW in compete with Kuhn. I really hope he stays. Forrest to be 4th choice winger till Jota returns. Ideally this RW player can also comfortably play on the left as a bonus
6. A striker. First choice to lead the line.

I dont want to go into how much that would cost. But we should have a budget remaining from Jan in not replacing Kyogo.
Add that to the money for hopefully Welsh, rocky, Larger, kwon, Hatate (Sadly) Yang and Palma.
And the Frimpong and potentially MOR sales. And the wages saved from Taylor and Schulp and we are past the sweet spot needed.

 

I honestly think with the number of top players we could loose ,no jota or hatate for these qualifiers .it could be a struggle for us .you can just see first qualifier our cbs bring scales and Welsh. Still think in the europa would suit us better .the potential champions league draw gives me the fear.i know we got a kind draw last year .but I think this celtic team is a bit weak mentally a few dortmund scores could really * us on all fronts .pot 4 wont help us at all Recruitment is vital of coarse but I can't see us being much stronger than we currently are now by the qualifiers or start up .

 

Why no Hatate for the qualifiers? Was under the impression his injury was nothing serious. Plenty of time to recover till then.

 

I think he was implying he will be sold

 

A little bit off topic, but why is not Celtic in the Fifa club world cup? Lots of weird teams playing in it that should not be there? Just pure corruption i expect or what is the reason?

 

Criteria based on recent winners etc and qualifications to which we don’t qualify

can be argued the criteria may be “ corrupt” but that’s the way it is

 

One of Rodgers' biggest successes in his first spell was consistently navigating the qualifiers and ending what had been a good while of no CL if memory serves?

Unfortunately so far in 2025 it looks like he's not getting the team up for the big occasions. I'm holing that we'll see the 'big occasion' Celtic that we saw in Europe this season but you just dunno how its going to pan out. Surely they'll be well up for these games, biggest games of the season

 

cos Messi doesn’t play for us that’s why

 

So are we guaranteed europa? If we dont qualify for CL

 

Yeah if we lose the playoff we get something like €5m and bumped to Europa league league phase.

 

Aye we are straight to the playoff round, that has Europa as the safety net if we lose.

but * that thought, we absolutely can’t think that’s acceptable as an alternative. We need to be fully prepared and business done going into it, which poses a problem itself. A lot of high quality targets want to sign for the CL, we need them to get into the CL but they would hold off signing until they know if we actually are. So do we wait for that, for a quality player or get someone maybe a level below but will bolster us to get there? It’s a * issue.


Hopefully we target guys with the right attitude that they want to sign and win to be there, and don’t consider that they can’t make that happen - Van Dijk done that. Horror show from him on his debut in Kazakhstan nearly * it but still