Bayer Leverkusen v Celtic will kick off at 17:45 tonight, Thursday 25th November in the BayArena. The match will be shown live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin TV Go.

Gerardo Seoane’s Leverkusen side comes into this game on top of Group G, three points clear of second place. This young team have been very successful and exciting this season as they sit in fourth place in the Bundesliga as well.

A win tonight could guarantee progression to the Round of 16 but the manager may rest some of their strong players with them playing RB Leipzig in a tough league tie at the weekend.

Ange Postecogclu has improved Celtic’s home form, now bringing them to within four points of Rangers in the Scottish league. Even though this is promising for the Glasgow side, it may be too late for them in Europe.

Celtic are one point behind second-place Real Betis but the Spanish team are playing bottom place Ferencvaros. The Scotsmen will need to claim at least a point or else their European journey could be over.

This is a very uncommon tie in recent European history. They only faced each other once before, which was earlier this season in the first fixture of the Europa League group stage. That tie does not build Celtic fans with hope as they lost 4-0 at home to the German team.

There is a lot more importance on this game so Celtic will try to come out all guns blazing in search of at least a point.

One word to describe this @CelticFC signing from 2005… #FlashbackFriday | #UEL pic.twitter.com/W9AzGNWikY

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 19, 2021

Bayer Leverkusen v Celtic Probable Starting Teams

Bayer Leverkusen

Formation

4-2-3-1

Probable Starting 11

Hradecky (GK), Hincapie, Tapsoba, Tah, Frimpong, Diaby, Palacios, Andrich, Amiri, Alario, Wirtz.

Injuries / Suspensions

Baumgartlinger (Knee), Bakker (Ankle), Fosu-Mensah (Cruciate ligament), Demirbay (Red card)

Celtic

Formation

4-2-3-1

Probable Starting 11

Hart (GK), Juranovic, Carter-Vicker, Ralston, McGregor, Bitton, Jota, Turnbull, Abada, Furuhashi.

Injuries / Suspensions

Starfelt (Hamstring), Jullien (Knee), Taylor (Shoulder), Dembele (Ankle), Rogic (Hamstring)

𝗝𝗢𝗧𝗔

Saturday: Man of the Match
Monday: Player of the Month
Tuesday: Star of the Show?

𝑇𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤…#CelticChristmasAd pic.twitter.com/7yDMgZnvMY

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 22, 2021

Bayer Leverkusen v Celtic Match Betting

Bayer Leverkusen to win: 4/11

Draw: 4/1

Celtic to win: 13/2

Score Prediction

Leverkusen are the clear favorites to win this tie and secure their place in the knockout round and it would be hard to bet against them. Celtic have shown better form and have something to fight for but the Germans might be one step too far for them.

Expect this game to end 3-1 to Leverkusen, spelling the end of Celtic’s European journey this year.

Amine Adli vs Celtic

What will happen this time? #UEL pic.twitter.com/GWQtHH5ufG

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 23, 2021

To read more from this writer, click here.

And to read more in-depth and up-to-date Europa League and international club football news, click here.

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The 23-year old defender has been called up in place of Swansea City defender Ryan Manning who had to withdraw from the squad with injury.

Scales linked up with the squad before departure to Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday and will be available for the FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifier on Saturday, October 9 as well as the international friendly against Qatar on Tuesday, October 12.

Ireland manager Stephen Kenny has also spoken in a press conference about the recent news that striker Callum Robinson has chosen not to be vaccinated for the Covid-19 virus.

When asked if he would drop the player due to this, Kenny thought that it would be ‘radical’ and said he would not at this time.

Speaking to the press Robinson, explained his decision: “It’s obviously annoying that I’ve caught it twice but I haven’t been vaccinated. Further down the line I could change my mind and want to do it, but at this moment in time I haven’t been vaccinated.”

"Everyone has that choice."

Callum Robinson has revealed he has not yet been vaccinated against COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/jc3DldzBsk

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 6, 2021

Republic of Ireland Squad v Azerbaijan / v Qatar

Goalkeepers: Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth, on loan from Manchester City), Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth).

Defenders: Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Cyrus Christie (Fulham), Shane Duffy (Brighton and Hove Albion), John Egan (Sheffield United), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich City), Nathan Collins (Burnley), Liam Scales (Celtic).

Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle United), Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Harry Arter (Nottingham Forest), Jamie McGrath (St. Mirren), Jason Knight (Derby County).

Attackers: Callum Robinson (West Bromwich Albion), Aaron Connolly (Brighton and Hove Albion), James Collins (Cardiff City), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers), Adam Idah (Norwich City), Troy Parrott (MK Dons, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Will Keane (Wigan Athletic), Chiedozie Ogbene (Rotherham United).

Liam Scales called up to the Ireland squad. What a player pic.twitter.com/36UGZ1EFVQ

— Conor (@srfconor) October 7, 2021

To read more in-depth and up-to-date Ireland and international football news, click here.

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The match kicks off at 20:00 tonight, Thursday, 30th September in Celtic Park.

Celtic have had an up and down start to this season. After seven games, they are in sixth place after three poor losses including one in the Old Firm Derby. They still only manage to be six points off top place with plenty of time to right their wrongs.

The Hoops have also not been so lucky in Europe after a thrilling 4-3 loss away to Real Betis two weeks ago.

They will be challenged immensely by a high-flying Leverkusen team. The German club sits in second place in the league after six games, only with one loss to Borussia Dortmund.

They got their European campaign off to a decent start after beating Hungary team Ferencvaros 2-1 in the last round.

This will be the first meeting of the sides in recent history with both sides rarely facing each other in European football. The return fixture will take place on 25th November in the BayArena in Leverkusen.

These two games will prove to be very important in the grand scheme of this group. Both teams will be fighting for the second-place spot now that Real Betis have made themselves firm favorites to qualify top-spot.

GOOAL! Jota with the assist for Albian Ajeti's goal against Betis!

His first assist for Celtic FC!

pic.twitter.com/0LKQ8EVKO4

— Benfica Youth 2 (@SLBenficaYouth) September 16, 2021

Predicted Starting Teams

Celtic

Formation

4-3-3

Predicted Starting 11

Hart (GK), Scales, Carter-Vickers, Urhoghide, Starfelt, Turnbull, Rogic, McCarthy, Jota, Ajeti, Abada.

Injuries / Suspensions

McGregor (Hamstring), Julien (Knee), Giakoumakis (Calf), Taylor (Shoulder), Forrest (Knock), Juranovic (Hamstring), Dembele (Ankle), Furuhashi (Knee), Johnston (Knock)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Formation

4-2-3-1

Predicted Starting 11

Hradecky (GK), Sinkgraven, Tah, Hincapie, Frimpong, Aranguiz, Demirbay, Bellarabi, Amiri, Diaby, Schick.

Injuries / Suspensions

Tapsoba (Ankle), Palacios (Ankle), Baumgartlinger (Knee), Lomb (Finger), Kossounou Muscle injury), Fosu-Mensah (Cruciate ligament)

Jonathan Tah has officially signed his contract extension with Bayer Leverkusen until June 2025. The centre back was in Leicester City list months ago. #BayerLeverkusen #transfers pic.twitter.com/xnpmbRVWM0

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 28, 2021

Betting

Celtic 11/4

Draw 27/10

Bayer 04 Leverkusen 10/11

Score Prediction

Injuries have really affected Postecoglou’s chances in this tie. Now missing some of their star players and stalwarts, it will be hard to see them winning even at home to a Leverkusen side in good form.

Expect this game to end 2-2 with both sides sharing the spoils in a tight, cagey affair.

Looking forward to this when Leverkusen come calling. Football can often exhibit a coarse & even brutal face but this is a thing of beauty… pic.twitter.com/upqaLrKTxA

— Lisbon Lion (@tirnaog_09) September 24, 2021

To read more in-depth and up-to-date national and European football news, click here.

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The injury to centreback Diego Llorente last week has shown that Leeds can be vulnerable at the back. A poor second-half display saw them ransacked by a classy Manchester United side.

Cooper and Struijk could not deal with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba as they scored five passed with Whites’ defense. The Leeds senior and U23 sides are now looking for new talent abroad to be the future leader of the club.

Best midfielder in world football today #MANLEE #ManchesterUnited pic.twitter.com/fmLhedkSGk

— xoliswa_sa (@xoliswa_sa) August 14, 2021

They have shown great interest in Celtic’s young defender Leo Hjelde. Although he is only 17 years old, he has senior team experience in the Scottish Premiership. He appeared 12 times while on loan at Ross County last season, as well as scoring his first senior goal.

Hjelde showed his flexibility, appearing both in the center and the left side of the defense in his stay.

The teenager joined Celtic from Rosenborg FC’s youth side and he has been a part of Norway’s underage teams since U16. He is highly rated amongst the up-and-coming Norweigan youth that is destined for greatness in the next few years.

Hjelde is a physically large player, standing at 6’2”. For a young player, he has a good aerial presence and is willing to play the ball with his feet.

Leo Hjelde Celtic mystery as Leeds United transfer target left out of Europa League squadhttps://t.co/3YGYjVCxsa pic.twitter.com/TaGVktl0GA

— Daily Record Sport (@Record_Sport) August 16, 2021

If the move goes through with his transfer value estimated under €1 million it will be unlikely that he jumps straight into the first team. A spot has opened up in the U23 team after Olly Casey moved to Blackpool.

He could improve as a player in the Premier League 2 before making the leap into top-flight football when he is a bit older.

There is a lot expected of young Hjelde, it will be interesting to see if he can live up to the hype.

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Shane Duffy is the latest Irish footballer to receive online abuse after a handful of his compatriots received similar insults in recent months.

Duffy received a string of abusive messages on Instagram, most of which was sectarian, however the last message targeted Duffy more personally.

“Haha, your dad’s dead” was sent to Duffy in a vile personal attack. His father, Brian Duffy, sadly passed away just last year at the age of 53.

Duffy responded by putting up an Instagram story with the caption “There’s abuse which is fine but surely there’s a limit?”. The sender is believed to come from Northern Ireland.

Duffy is not the only Irish player to receive abuse in recent times. James McClean was of course targeted last week – and his whole career in fact – in a sectarian/xenophobic attack which launched a wave of support in his direction.

Ireland u21 international Jonathan Afolabi was targeted in recent months, also on Instagram, based on the colour of his skin.

It begs a question as to what Instagram are doing to prevent this abuse? Unlike many other social media sites, users are capable of sending messages to anyone, regardless of whether they’re verified or not. Clearly this is a unique selling point of the site, however it appears to be having negative ramifications on the receivers of said messages.

Instagram are now understood to be investigating the abuse sent to Duffy.

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Demand is high for Ireland u17 international Sinclair Armstrong.

The forward is being monitored by Celtic, Crystal Palace and Manchester City according to Nizaar Kinsella of Goal.

Armstrong only joined QPR in October. He was previously on the books of Shamrock Rovers, and appeared for Shamrock Rovers II in the League of Ireland First Division a number of times last season.

Armstrong only signed a short-term deal with QPR keeping him at the club until the summer, a decision they may come to regret. The aforementioned clubs are reportedly keeping a keen eye on the Irish international with the possibility of snapping him up on a pre-contract deal.

He has yet to make a senior appearance for QPR but has impressed since joining their u18 side, scoring a handful of goals in the process.

Non-English clubs can sign players on pre-contract deals six months before their contract expires, meaning Celtic have the advantage as it stands.

However, Armstrong may be tempted by the possibility of playing Premier League football, particularly Man City. The Citizens have given gametime to youngsters such as Liam Delap, Tommy Doyle and Phil Foden in recent times which shows that while there is intense competition for places, there’s a pathway available to these players.

Crystal Palace have also been known to give youth a chance, the most high-profile examples over the past few years being Wilfried Zaha and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Celtic, on the other hand, have struggled to develop players in recent years, particularly Irish players, it seems. Luca Connell, Jonathan Afolabi and Lee O’Connor were all seen as bright prospects when they joined Celtic, but have seen little to no gametime since their arrival.

There is a long way to go in the negotiation process yet. QPR, though, will find it hard to keep hold of their man with substantial interest elsewhere.

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It has been a week to forget for Neil Lennon and his Celtic side. A brace from Connor Goldson ensured Rangers took all three points in last weekend’s Glasgow derby. Then came a 3-1 defeat to AC Milan in a midweek Europa League clash. Celtic needed a win against Aberdeen on Sunday. With no sign of Rangers slowing down, the pressure was on Lennon’s men to pick up a win. Aberdeen’s Lewis Ferguson didn’t get the memo however, as he converted a 92^nd minute penalty to tie the game.

A few eyebrows were raised when Neil Lennon took over from Brendan Rodgers back in 2019. Yet the Northern Irishman’s managerial record during his first stint at Celtic Park boasted some impressive numbers, including two Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cup trophies and 70% win record. Despite his success, it was always going to be an underwhelming appointment in the eyes of Celtic fans regardless of who next sat in the hot seat. Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic team were a machine.

Ten in a Row

In any other season and in any other league, Celtic’s form would not be worthy of a paragraph in the sports section of the newspaper, let alone the main headline on the front page. But this is no ordinary season. Celtic are on track for ten in a row in terms of league titles. They are so close they can almost taste it.

It may be no coincidence that Celtic’s ‘week to forget’ coincides with start striker Odsonne Edouard’s absence due to a positive COVID-19 result. The defence took the brunt of the blame after the draw against Aberdeen as Lennon alluded to their “fragility”. Moreover, this form may simply resemble a small bump in the road to ten in a row. This time it feels different though. Take for instance the 2016/17 season under Rodgers. Celtic strolled through the campaign, remaining unbeaten and gathering a record 106 points along the way. Rangers were nowhere to be seen.

After two full seasons under his belt, Steven Gerrard is now in a strong position to put a halt to any premature celebrations from Celtic fans. His Rangers side are the only team to remain unbeaten across all top four divisions in England and Scotland. Their eyes are firmly set on the SPL title.

Celtic currently sit in second place, six points behind Rangers with a game in hand. With over half of the season still to play, a lot can happen. One thing we do know is that the pressure on Celtic and Neil Lennon won’t ease. Forget what titles are already on display in the trophy cabinet. This season’s league title has the potential to trump them all.

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Dundalk’s prize for their outstanding achievement in reaching the group stages of the Europa League is a glamour tie against Premier League giants Arsenal.

The Lilywhites will also face Norwegian side Molde and Austrian club Rapid Vienna in Group B as they embark on their second Europa League group stage campaign in five seasons.

The draw for the Europa League group stages have taken place.

We will face Arsenal, Rapid Vienna and Molde in Group B.#CmonTheTown #UEL pic.twitter.com/mJpCbKp39X

— DundalkFC (@DundalkFC) October 2, 2020

Filippo Giovagnoli had expressed a desire to head to London and face off against Jose Mourinho at Tottenham, but he will have to make do instead with their North London rivals, who were runners up in 2019.

Celtic, Spurs and Leicester also involved

Celtic meanwhile have been drawn in Group H alongside AC Milan who beat Shamrock Rovers in the qualifiers, Czech team Sparta Prague and Lille from France.

Spurs will play in Group J of the competition and will face Ludogorets from Bulgaria, LASK of Austria and  Belgian club Royal Antwerp, as Jose Mourinho sets out to try and win the competition for a third time after successes with Porto and Manchester United.

Brendan Rodgers will lead his Leicester City team into Group G alongside Braga, AEK Athens of Greece  and Ukranian outfit Zorya Luhansk.

The competition will begin on October 22.

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The government in Scotland were considering suspending all Scottish football after it emerged Bolingoli failed to quarantine after his trip to Spain. In fact, the Hoops defender came off the bench in Sunday’s Scottish Premier League game with Kilmarnock which ended in a 1-1 draw. Celtic have since came out and said it as stupid behaviour and inexplicable. However, Celtic are due to face Icelandic side KV Reykjavik in a first round Champions League qualifier on August 19th. They now face an anxious wait as investigations will have to occur, with decision likely left up to UEFA.

The Scottish Champions game with St Mirren has been called off, as has Aberdeen’s match with Hamilton on Wednesday. The Don’s trip to Celtic Park on Saturday has been postponed. It’s not the first incidence of players breaking rules though, as Nicola Sturgeon issued a stark warning to Scottish football after 8 Aberdeen players broke protocol and went on a night out after the opening game of the season. Incidentally, 2 of the 8 contracted Covid 19, while the other 6 had to self isolate for the period of 14 days.

The Scottish First Minister issued a statement on Tuesday saying, “This is just not acceptable. We can’t have privileged football players just deciding they are not going to bother. “Consider today the yellow card. Next time it will be the red card because you will leave us with absolutely no choice.” Neil Lennon, Celtic boss was very angry that Bolingoli broke protocol. He said “it might be very difficult to be welcomed back into the fold at Celtic Park”. Lennon continued, “I am livid; (it was a) total betrayal of trust. He took a flight to Spain on the Monday and flew back on Tuesday – one day in Spain, no logic to that – and decided to keep it to himself. “Trained all week in this bubble and was part of the squad for Sunday and put everybody at risk, the Kilmarnock players and staff as well.

Bolingoli did say he wanted to apologise to fans and players for letting them down so badly. He said, “I am guilty of a major error of judgement. I know what I did was wrong and I know that I must now deal with the consequences.”

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Slovenia is not on the Irish governments green list so the game will more than likely take place at a neutral venue. A neutral venue more than likely would be halfway between the countries so you would be looking at Hungary, Greece or even Italy. The game will be a one off event, with no second leg. It will take place on the 17th/18th of August. This will be confirmed in the next few days by UEFA. The Lilywhites could have faced easier opposition from other countries such as the Faroes, Estonia or Iceland. However, they must now travel, but a UEFA grant will cover the cost of this.

They will face KR Reykjavik. At the moment Celtic Park will host the game. However, their is a possibility that the game be played at a neutral venue. In fact Celtic have already met this team in the Champions League they beat them 5-0 on aggregate in 2014.

Northern Ireland Premier League side Lingfield will face Drita of Kosovo in the preliminary round, if they win there they will face a tough task against Polish side Legia Warsaw.

Ferencváros (HUN) vs Djurgården (SWE)

Celtic (SCO) vs KR Reykjavík (ISL)

Legia Warszawa (POL) vs Drita (KOS)/Linfield (NIR)

Sheriff (MDA) vs Fola Esch (LUX)

Connah’s Quay Nomads (WAL) vs Sarajevo (BIH)

Crvena zvezda (SRB) vs Europa (GIB)

Budućnost Podgorica (MNE) vs Ludogorets (BUL)

Ararat-Armenia (ARM) vs Omonia (CYP)

Floriana (MLT) vs CFR Cluj (ROU)

Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR) vs Riga (LVA)

Qarabağ (AZE) vs Sileks (MKD)

Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) vs Tirana (ALB)

Dynamo Brest (BLR) vs Astana (KAZ)

Molde (NOR) vs KuPS (FIN)

Flora Tallinn (EST) vs Sūduva (LTU)

Celje (SVN) vs Dundalk (IRL)

KÍ (FRO) vs Slovan Bratislava (SVK)

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