Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Champions League and

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

. Celtic won all three domestic tournaments, completing a double treble.

Background

The previous season saw Celtic win the domestic treble, remaining undefeated domestically, recording only four draws in the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

. The squad reported back for pre-season training on 19 June, following a short break after the

Scottish Cup Final The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish Cup, is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Football in Scotland, Scottish football. Organised by the Scottish Football Association, it is the ...

on 27 May. Celtic assistant manager Chris Davies commented:

''"It's a little bit different in England where you can have six or seven, or sometimes even eight weeks away. Some players have had the three weeks' rest after the cup final while others have had 10 days and some possibly even less. So we've managed that in terms of physical conditioning to make sure that they are in the best place possible. But we have noticed straight away that they've come back in really good condition and that is linked to not having such a long break. So we're happy with that, they are nice and fresh and have great enthusiasm and energy for the new season, so that's all good."''

On 2 July 2017, Celtic announced that

Scott Brown Scott Brown may refer to: Sportsmen *Scott Brown (American football), American college football coach of Kentucky State * Scott Brown (baseball) (born 1956), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds *Scott Brown (footballer, bor ...

would receive a testimonial for ten years of service to the club.

Pre-season and friendlies

Celtic preceded the 2017–18 campaign with a pre-season tour of

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, with matches against Blau-Weiß Linz and

Rapid Wien Sportklub Rapid Wien (), commonly known as Rapid Vienna, is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, ...

. The Hoops then travelled to the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

to face

Slavia Prague Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in th ...

, which was followed by a trip to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

to play

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...

. The pre-season schedule also included games against

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

and

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

. Celtic recorded their first pre-season victory against Blau-Weiß Linz.

Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed un ...

fielded a different team in each half, with a cameo appearance from his son,

Anton Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

, during the second period. The match played out in typical pre-season fashion, until James Forrest scored a late winner. Celtic's next opponents – Rapid Vienna of the

Austrian Bundesliga The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. Th ...

– marked a step up in quality. Rapid took the lead on the stroke of half time, but this was later cancelled out by a Moussa Dembélé penalty, which earned Celtic a 1–1 draw. Following the match, Brendan Rodgers expressed his dissatisfaction with the first half performance, but praised the second half display and the progress made so far in pre-season. Celtic continued their preparations for the new season with a game against Slavia Prague. The match ended goalless, with

Dedryck Boyata Dedryck Anga Boyata (born 28 November 1990) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge and the Belgium national team. He made his senior debut with Manchester City i ...

forced off through injury at the end of the first half. The Celtic manager was pleased with his team's efforts, commenting that the Czech champions provided an excellent test in the build-up to the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

qualifiers. Shamrock Rovers provided the opposition in Celtic's final match before the competitive action resumed. The Bhoys strolled to a 9–0 victory, with seven players on the scoresheet, including a first goal for

Jonny Hayes Jonathan Hayes (born 9 July 1987) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for the Scottish Premiership team Aberdeen and Republic of Ireland. He began his career in England with Reading, but did not break through to their f ...

. Brendan Rodgers was again delighted with the level of performance produced by his players. The day after Celtic's first European qualifier, a much-changed side was soundly beaten 4–0 by Lyon of

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

. Celtic finished the match with nine academy players on the pitch. The Hoops rounded off pre-season with a game against Sunderland, recently relegated from the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. As both clubs share

Dafabet Dafabet is an online betting site. The company was founded on 7 November 2004 and is headquartered in Makati, Philippines. History Dafabet was founded on November 7, 2004, in Makati, Philippines under the subsidiary of the privately-owned com ...

as their main sponsor, a one-off trophy was on offer for the winner. Celtic comfortably defeated the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

side 5–0, with

Callum McGregor Callum William McGregor (born 14 June 1993) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic, which he captains, and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Notts County on ...

scoring a hat-trick. Brendan Rodgers praised the large travelling support of 9,000 and commented that the result would boost confidence in the squad ahead of the next European qualifier.

Scottish Premiership

The

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

fixture list was announced on 23 June 2017. Celtic began the defence of their title with a 4–1 victory against Heart of Midlothian at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...

. On 4 November, Celtic broke their own British record for the number of games without defeat in all domestic competitions, a record set by

Willie Maley William Patrick Maley (25 April 1868 – 2 April 1958) was an Irish-born Scottish international football player and manager. He was the first manager of Celtic Football Club, and one of the most successful managers in Scottish football history. ...

's team that stood for 100 years. However, the unbeaten run ended at 69 games, following a 4–0 defeat to Heart of Midlothian at

Tynecastle Park Tynecastle Park is a football stadium in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, which is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Heart of Midlothian (Hearts). It has also hosted Scotland international matches, and been used as a ...

on 17 December. On 29 April 2018, Celtic won their seventh consecutive title and 49th overall after a 5–0 win against Rangers.

Scottish League Cup

On 30 July, Celtic were drawn to face

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...

in the second round of the

2017–18 Scottish League Cup The 2017–18 Scottish League Cup (also known as the Betfred Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 72nd season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition. The format for the 2017–18 competition remained the same as th ...

. Captained by

Kieran Tierney Kieran Tierney (born 5 June 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-back or centre-back for Premier League club Arsenal and the Scotland national team. Tierney came through the Celtic youth system and made his first t ...

for the first time, in the absence of the suspended

Scott Brown Scott Brown may refer to: Sportsmen *Scott Brown (American football), American college football coach of Kentucky State * Scott Brown (baseball) (born 1956), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds *Scott Brown (footballer, bor ...

, Celtic won 5–0 to secure a berth in the quarter-finals. On 9 August, Celtic were drawn to face

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

at

Dens Park Dens Park, officially known as Kilmac Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland, which is the home of club Dundee F.C. and has a capacity of . Tannadice Park, the home of rivals Dundee United, is just 200 yards ...

in the quarter-finals. The Bhoys continued their defence of the trophy, running out 4–0 winners with a double from James Forrest and goals from

Scott Sinclair Scott Andrew Sinclair (born 25 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One club Bristol Rovers. He represented England at youth level, from the under-17s to the under-21s, and also played for Gre ...

and

Callum McGregor Callum William McGregor (born 14 June 1993) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic, which he captains, and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Notts County on ...

securing a return to

Hampden Park Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...

for the semi-finals. On 21 September, Celtic were drawn to face Hibernian in the semi-finals. A keenly fought contest ended in a 4–2 victory for Celtic with

Mikael Lustig Carl Mikael Lustig (; born 13 December 1986) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a right or centre back. Beginning his career with Umeå FC in 2004, he went on to represent GIF Sundsvall, Rosenborg BK, Celtic, and Gent bef ...

and Moussa Dembélé both netting twice to seal Celtic's place in the final. On 26 November, Celtic retained the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

by defeating

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

2–0. This was the 17th League Cup triumph in the club's history and the fourth trophy of

Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed un ...

' reign.

Scottish Cup

On 20 November, Celtic were drawn to face

Brechin City Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club w ...

at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...

in the fourth round of the

2017–18 Scottish Cup The 2017–18 Scottish Cup was the 133rd season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the seventh season of a nine-year partnership, after contract negoti ...

. Goals from James Forrest,

Scott Sinclair Scott Andrew Sinclair (born 25 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One club Bristol Rovers. He represented England at youth level, from the under-17s to the under-21s, and also played for Gre ...

,

Olivier Ntcham Jules Olivier Ntcham (born 9 February 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Swansea City. Born in France, he represents the Cameroon national team. Ntcham was born in Longjumeau, a southern ...

,

Dedryck Boyata Dedryck Anga Boyata (born 28 November 1990) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge and the Belgium national team. He made his senior debut with Manchester City i ...

and

Odsonne Édouard Odsonne Édouard (born 16 January 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Crystal Palace. Having progressed through the youth ranks of AF Bobigny, Édouard signed with Paris Saint-Germain in July ...

secured a 5–0 victory for the cup holders. On 21 January 2018, Celtic were drawn to face

Partick Thistle Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. ...

in the fifth round. A James Forrest hat-trick sealed a 3–2 win and Celtic's place in the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive season. On 11 February, Celtic were drawn to face

Greenock Morton Greenock Morton Football Club is a Scottish professional football club, which plays in the Scottish Championship. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs. Morton was renamed Green ...

in the quarter-finals. Goals from Moussa Dembélé and

Odsonne Édouard Odsonne Édouard (born 16 January 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Crystal Palace. Having progressed through the youth ranks of AF Bobigny, Édouard signed with Paris Saint-Germain in July ...

secured a place in the semi-finals and a return to Hampden. On 4 March, Celtic were drawn to face Rangers in the semi-finals. The Bhoys sealed their place in the final with

Tom Rogic Tomas Petar Rogic ( ; sr-Cyrl, Томас Петар Рогић, ; born 16 December 1992) is an Australian professional footballer who most recently played as an attacking midfielder for West Bromwich Albion and the Australia national team. ...

,

Callum McGregor Callum William McGregor (born 14 June 1993) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic, which he captains, and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Notts County on ...

, Moussa Dembélé and

Olivier Ntcham Jules Olivier Ntcham (born 9 February 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Swansea City. Born in France, he represents the Cameroon national team. Ntcham was born in Longjumeau, a southern ...

all on the scoresheet. Celtic beat

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

2–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

on 19 May 2018, with goals from

Callum McGregor Callum William McGregor (born 14 June 1993) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic, which he captains, and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Notts County on ...

and

Olivier Ntcham Jules Olivier Ntcham (born 9 February 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Swansea City. Born in France, he represents the Cameroon national team. Ntcham was born in Longjumeau, a southern ...

ensuring Celtic's defence of the trophy.

Europe

UEFA Champions League

Second qualifying round

On 19 June, Celtic were drawn to face Linfield (

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

) or La Fiorita (

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

) in the Second Qualifying Round of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. On 4 July, it was determined that Linfield would be Celtic's opponents, having defeated La Fiorita 1–0 on aggregate. The first leg took place at

Windsor Park Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual rent ...

on 14 July, two days after

The Twelfth The Twelfth (also called Orangemen's Day) is an Ulster Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It began in the late 18th century in Ulster. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution (1688) and victory of Protestant King William III of England, W ...

. Celtic refused its ticket allocation due to concerns for supporter safety. Linfield later reiterated this, announcing that Celtic supporters would not be allowed to purchase tickets for the match. However, on the day of the match, the Northern Irish champions announced that away fans who had purchased tickets for the home end would be given their own section in the stadium. Celtic recorded a 2–0 victory in the first leg. The match did not pass without incident, as several objects were thrown towards Celtic players during the second half.

Leigh Griffiths Leigh Griffiths (born 20 August 1990) is a Scottish professional footballer who most recently played as a striker for Australian club Mandurah City. Griffiths started his career at Livingston where he made his debut as a sixteen-year-old. He ...

was controversially booked for simply drawing this to the referee's attention. Griffiths was later suspended by

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

for one match, for tying a scarf to the goalpost after the game, which was deemed to have provoked a section of the home crowd. Celtic won 4–0 in the second leg, securing a place in the next round and a tie against Rosenborg. The club was again charged by UEFA for several offences, including illicit banners being displayed by the

Green Brigade The Green Brigade are a Celtic F.C. supporter ultra group formed in 2006. They are situated in the North Curve corner section of Celtic Park. Controversy At a match against Dundee United in November 2010, there was serious disorder in the s ...

section of the home support. Celtic subsequently condemned the banners and suspended the group for the next two matches at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...

.

Third qualifying round

On 19 July, it was determined that Celtic would face Rosenborg (

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

) in the Third Qualifying Round of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. The Norwegian champions overcame

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

to set up their first meeting with the Scottish champions since the

2001–02 UEFA Champions League The 2001–02 UEFA Champions League was the 47th season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier club football tournament, and the 10th since its rebranding from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The tournament was won by R ...

group stage. In October 2001, an Alan Thompson free-kick secured a 1–0 victory for Celtic in Glasgow. Later that month,

Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...

's team succumbed to a 2–0 defeat in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

, with former Celtic player Harald Brattbakk scoring both goals. Brendan Rodgers' side were forced to play without a recognised striker in the first leg, which finished goalless. Injuries to Moussa Dembélé and

Leigh Griffiths Leigh Griffiths (born 20 August 1990) is a Scottish professional footballer who most recently played as a striker for Australian club Mandurah City. Griffiths started his career at Livingston where he made his debut as a sixteen-year-old. He ...

– the latter was also suspended – meant that

Tom Rogic Tomas Petar Rogic ( ; sr-Cyrl, Томас Петар Рогић, ; born 16 December 1992) is an Australian professional footballer who most recently played as an attacking midfielder for West Bromwich Albion and the Australia national team. ...

was tasked with deputising in a

False 9 Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

role. The return leg saw James Forrest start in the same position and score the deciding goal to seal Celtic's place in the next round. The result secured European football for the club until the end of the year.

Play-off round

On 4 August, Celtic were drawn to face

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...

(

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

) in the Play-Off Round of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. The sides met one round earlier in the previous season's competition, with the Scottish champions recording a 3–2 victory on aggregate. Celtic cruised to a 5–0 victory in the first leg, with two own goals bookending a double from

Scott Sinclair Scott Andrew Sinclair (born 25 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One club Bristol Rovers. He represented England at youth level, from the under-17s to the under-21s, and also played for Gre ...

and a goal from James Forrest.

Nir Bitton Nir Bitton (or Biton, he, ניר ביטון; born 30 October 1991) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or as a defensive midfielder for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israel national team which he ...

deputised at centre half – injuries ruled

Dedryck Boyata Dedryck Anga Boyata (born 28 November 1990) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge and the Belgium national team. He made his senior debut with Manchester City i ...

and

Erik Sviatchenko Erik Sergiyovych Sviatchenko ( uk, Ерік Сергійович Святченко; born 4 October 1991) is a Danish footballer who plays as a defender and captain of FC Midtjylland. Club career FC Midtjylland Sviatchenko was, during his you ...

out of the tie – and was singled out for praise by

Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed un ...

in the aftermath. The second leg saw Celtic record their first loss in all competitions since November 2016, when they were defeated by

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...

. Although the Hoops lost 4–3 on the night, goals from

Scott Sinclair Scott Andrew Sinclair (born 25 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One club Bristol Rovers. He represented England at youth level, from the under-17s to the under-21s, and also played for Gre ...

,

Olivier Ntcham Jules Olivier Ntcham (born 9 February 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Swansea City. Born in France, he represents the Cameroon national team. Ntcham was born in Longjumeau, a southern ...

and

Leigh Griffiths Leigh Griffiths (born 20 August 1990) is a Scottish professional footballer who most recently played as a striker for Australian club Mandurah City. Griffiths started his career at Livingston where he made his debut as a sixteen-year-old. He ...

ensured Celtic's place amongst Europe's elite for the second consecutive season. In addition, Celtic's 8–4 aggregate win became the highest-scoring tie in

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

play-off history.

Group stage

On 24 August, the draw for the

2017–18 UEFA Champions League Group stage The 2017–18 UEFA Champions League group stage began on 12 September and ended on 6 December 2017. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout phase of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League. Draw The draw ...

was made. Celtic were drawn in

Group B Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportscar ...

along with

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

(Pot 1),

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

(Pot 2) and

Anderlecht Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...

(Pot 3). Celtic last met the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

champions in the 2003–04 season, and have not faced the

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

side since

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

. Paris Saint-Germain inflicted Celtic's heaviest ever home defeat in European competition on Matchday 1, with goals from the most expensive forward line in history:

Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Sain ...

,

Kylian Mbappé Kylian Mbappé Lottin (born 20 December 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is renowned for his dribb ...

and

Edinson Cavani Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez (; born 14 February 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Valencia and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Matador'' ('The Bullfighter'), being known for his i ...

. Following the match,

Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed un ...

suggested his team played like under-12s in the early stages of the game. Celtic did however respond on Matchday 2 in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, recording a priceless victory over Anderlecht.

Leigh Griffiths Leigh Griffiths (born 20 August 1990) is a Scottish professional footballer who most recently played as a striker for Australian club Mandurah City. Griffiths started his career at Livingston where he made his debut as a sixteen-year-old. He ...

,

Patrick Roberts Patrick John Joseph Roberts (born 5 February 1997) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger for EFL Championship, Championship club Sunderland A.F.C., Sunderland. Club career Fulham ...

and

Scott Sinclair Scott Andrew Sinclair (born 25 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One club Bristol Rovers. He represented England at youth level, from the under-17s to the under-21s, and also played for Gre ...

were on the scoresheet as the club secured its second away victory in Champions League history, and its first away victory since

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, when Celtic defeated

Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia: * FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club * HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team * Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club * WB ...

. Despite a valiant display against Bayern Munich at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...

and scoring the first goal against Paris Saint-Germain in European competition that season, Celtic lost all four remaining games in the group, but did parachute into the

2017–18 UEFA Europa League knockout phase The 2017–18 UEFA Europa League knockout phase began on 13 February and ended on 16 May 2018 with the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final, final at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Décines-Charpieu, France, to decide the champions of the 2017–18 UEFA Eu ...

after finishing with a better head-to-head record against Anderlecht.

=Group B

=

=Matches

=

UEFA Europa League

On 11 December, Celtic were drawn to face

Zenit Saint Petersburg Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, acco ...

in the Last 32 of the

2017–18 UEFA Europa League The 2017–18 UEFA Europa League was the 47th season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 9th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The 2018 UEFA Europ ...

.

Callum McGregor Callum William McGregor (born 14 June 1993) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic, which he captains, and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Notts County on ...

's strike gave Celtic a narrow first-leg advantage, however, a 3–0 defeat in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

brought the Bhoys' involvement in European competition to an end for the 2017–18 season.

Round of 32

Statistics

Appearances and goals

, - ! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center, Goalkeepers , - , - ! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center, Defenders , - , - ! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center, Midfielders , - , - ! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center, Forwards , -

Goalscorers

Last updated: 19 May 2018

Disciplinary record

Includes all competitive matches. Players listed below made at least one appearance for Celtic first squad during the season.

Hat-tricks

(H) – Home; (A) – Away; (N) – Neutral

Clean sheets

''As of 19 May 2018.''

Attendances

Team statistics

League table

Competition Overview

Champions League: Scottish Premiership: Scottish League Cup: Scottish Cup:

Results by round

Club

Technical Staff

Kit

Supplier:

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...

/ Sponsors:

Dafabet Dafabet is an online betting site. The company was founded on 7 November 2004 and is headquartered in Makati, Philippines. History Dafabet was founded on November 7, 2004, in Makati, Philippines under the subsidiary of the privately-owned com ...

(front) and

Magners Magners Irish Cider is a brand of hard cider produced in County Tipperary in Ireland by the C&C Group. The product range includes the cider varieties: Original, Light, Berry, Pear and Rosé. The cider was originally produced as Bulmers Irish ...

(back) The club was in the third year of a deal with manufacturer

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...

. The kit range for the 2017–18 season paid tribute to the

Lisbon Lions The Lisbon Lions is the nickname given to the Celtic team that won the European Cup at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose ma ...

; the kits had a line on each side to represent the handles of the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. The kits also included a commemorative crest. *Home: The home kit was designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Celtic's victory in the

1967 European Cup Final The 1967 European Cup Final was a football match between Italian team Inter Milan and Scottish team Celtic. It took place at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967 in front of a crowd of 45,000. It was the final of the 1966–67 ...

. The kit followed the traditional style, with a gold club crest. *Away: The away kit featured dark green hoops with a gold trimming. It kit was designed to reflect the Celtic away kit worn during the 1966–67 season. *Third: The third kit was cactus green and featured a black crest. The Celtic and

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

teams which competed for the trophy were commemorated in the inner back neck of the jersey, where green and white hoops and black and blue stripes could be found. *Fourth: The third pink kit released for the 2016–17 season returned as a fourth kit due to a kit clash in both away matches against Hibernian.

Background

Pre-season and friendlies

Scottish Premiership

Scottish League Cup

Scottish Cup

Europe

UEFA Champions League

Second qualifying round

Third qualifying round

Play-off round

Group stage

=Group B

=Matches

UEFA Europa League

Round of 32

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Goalscorers

Disciplinary record

Hat-tricks

Clean sheets

Attendances

Team statistics

League table

Competition Overview

Results by round

Club

Technical Staff

Kit

Transfers

In

Out

See also