Venezuela are keeping Paulo Bernardo, currently on loan to Gornik Zabrze from Celtic, under constant observation for a possible international call-up despite the 24-year-old midfielder having been capped at under-21 level by Portugal. (Lacalle, external)
Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.
The clouds around Celtic darkened further as they followed Old Firm defeat with a loss in their Europa League opener against Ferencvaros.
Image source, SNSCeltic manager Martin O'Neill: "We're naturally disappointed getting beaten. We started off very, very brightly. We had a number of balls that were flashed across the goal and no-one there to put the ball in the net for us.
"They're first attempt, proper attempt, really, on goal yielded a goal for them. We come back into the game, got the equaliser just before half-time and then conceded a really poor goal.
"We're hit on the break for the third goal. While we had a number of balls flashed across the box even in the last 20 minutes, we didn't get there to the front post a number of times that could've kept it alive and we're beaten in the game."
Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
More than a year on from one of their most embarrassing European exits, Celtic are struggling to escape from a groundhog day entirely of their own making.
Amid buzz phrases like "learning lessons" and "wake-up calls" following last weekend's derby drubbing at Ibrox, an interesting yet awkward question emerges: have Celtic learned anything at all from last year's costly mistakes?
Going out of the Champions League to Kairat Almaty cast a cloud over huge swathes of last season.
Celtic only emerged blinking into the sunshine in the final few minutes of the final game when Martin O'Neill completed the Premiership's great escape. A success that seems merely to have papered over cracks.
Let's wind the clock back to the end of August 2025. After a woeful performance in Almaty, Celtic were eliminated from European football's top table by the champions of Kazakhstan. A catastrophic result that changed the course of the club's recent history.
Within a couple of months domestic form dipped drastically, Brendan Rodgers resigned, majority shareholder Dermot Desmond let rip in the most public manner possible and the club gambled on Wilfried Nancy.
Fan protests were rife, discontent was widespread. O'Neill rode to the rescue not once but twice, delivering the most unlikely double.
Surely Celtic wouldn't - couldn't - make the same mistakes again?
And yet here they are. Another calamitous Champions League exit, another long portentous shadow. Another period of patchy recruitment in which the signing of players who can score goals is being undermined by a failure to sign (enough) players who can help keep the ball out at the other end.
Are Celtic stronger or weaker than last season? For the much-heralded arrivals of Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur there have been the departures of Daizen Maeda, Arne Engels, Reo Hatate, Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi. If Celtic are more enterprising, are they weaker at the core?
It certainly looked like it in the meek defeat to Rangers. The Champions League play-off with LASK threw up an astonishing statistic: Celtic conceded 60 shots across those two matches.
Celtic have made themselves far too easy to play against and cut through. Five times Dundee United rattled the woodwork earlier this season and still lost 4-0.
There is something lightweight and ineffectual about the current Celtic set-up: a gaping hole in midfield. Captain Callum McGregor says you can't defend "with six players". With Ferencvaros, Rangers, Motherwell and Benfica on the imminent horizon, Celtic simply cannot afford to carry any passengers.
Successive chronic failures to recruit comprehensively enough - early enough - has resulted in six successive failures to qualify for the Champions League.
The shadow it cast a year ago only dispersed fleetingly over the summer. It's back, arguably darker and more foreboding than before. Twelve months ago, O'Neill was seen as the solution. We're about to find out if he still is.
Image source, SNSMika Baur has given a first senior Germany call-up as new head coach Jurgen Klopp unveiled an unprecedented 44-man squad for upcoming Nations League matches and described the Celtic midfielder as an "exciting" prospect.
The 22-year-old, who has already played for his country at youth level up to under-21s and joined the Scottish champions from Paderborn this summer, is one of 16 players to be handed their first call-ups by the former Liverpool manager.
Teams are restricted to naming 20 outfield players and three goalkeepers for each match, but Klopp has split the group into two separate squads for their four upcoming fixtures.
The first group will be available for the games fixtures against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on 24 September and at home to Greece three days later in Augsburg.
The second group, which includes Baur, will be available for Germany's matches against Serbia in Munich on 1 October and Greece in Thessaloniki on 4 October.
"I consider him really exciting," Klopp said. "He's absolutely up for it.
"We also spoke on the phone about the weather in Glasgow – something I know well from Liverpool.
"With this move, he's taken on a very challenging step."
Explaining his thinking, Klopp said: "It's very unusual that you've got four games in two weeks with the national team.
"I want to get to know as many players as possible in that time. It's not an A-team and a B-team, but the two squads have been created in a way that each fits well together."
Klopp replaced Julian Nagelsmann in July after the four-time World Cup winners were eliminated at the last-32 stage of the World Cup, their third successive early exit from the tournament.
"It really felt like you had the feeling after the World Cup that German football is on its knees and we have no talents, no footballers," Klopp added.
"In the past four weeks, as we've been looking closely, plenty of talents have caught our eye.
"It's a squad for two or three years from now, not just for the next four international games."
Image source, SNSBalazs Borbely played for Artmedia Bratislava against Celtic
Ferencvaros head coach Balazs Borbely has good memories of Celtic Park despite being on the end of a 4-0 defeat on his previous visit.
The 46-year-old Slovak was part of the Artmedia Bratislava team that almost squandered a 5-0 first-leg advantage in a Champions League qualifier in 2005.
"My memories of that are quite positive because we qualified for the next round, but I remember that it was a really tough game," Borbely said as he prepares for Thursday's Europa League opener in Glasgow.
"After 5-0 in Bratislava, we were losing 4-0 and there was about 10 minutes left. It was a really tough game.
"I was lucky to experience the Celtic Park atmosphere as a player. I know what is waiting for our players, but this is not our first difficult game in Europe, so I expect a brave performance."
Ferencvaros winger Daniel Arzani is another who has prior experience of Celtic Park after making just two appearances during an injury-disrupted two years on loan from Manchester City between 2018 and 2020.
"I'm really excited to be back here," said the 27-year-old, who was a squad-mate of Celtic trio Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Tony Ralston.
"It's an incredible atmosphere and a club with a lot of history. Personally, it was a difficult period for me being here.
"I was 19, I had a cruciate ligament injury on my debut. But I'm happy to be back and walking out into the stadium there felt surreal.
"For me, it's just a little bit nostalgic. I know the atmosphere is going to be incredible.
"We're not just here for the fun of it. I think we can give it a really good shot."
Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun believes he has staked his "entire footballing career" on helping South Korea win the Asian Cup - he will receive an exemption from military duty if they lift the trophy for the fourth time in a row - as it meant the 24-year-old missed crucial games with the Scottish champions. (The National, external)
Celtic are relaxed about holding on to Benjamin Nygren next summer despite the 25-year-old Sweden midfielder having admitted there was plenty of interest during the last transfer window. (Football Insider, external)
Celtic have shown negligence by failing to nurture a successor to captain Callum McGregor as the 33-year-old midfield general nears the end of his contract, according to former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness. (Football Insider, external)
Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSDefender Colby Donovan insists Celtic are looking to go far in the Europa League and shrug off the disappointment of the League Cup defeat to Rangers.
Martin O'Neill's side failed to progress to the Champions League after surrendering a four-goal lead to LASK in Austria in the play-off second leg.
That confirmed a Europa League place with the home tie against Ferencvaros on Thursday their opening fixture of the league stage.
"We know what happened in the Champions League, it's not great for us," Donovan said.
"But we know the Europa League is a big competition. Last year there were a lot of games I played in, a lot of experience I got in this competition. We're hoping this year we can go far and hopefully do better than we did last year."
Donovan believes the quick turnaround after losing 3-0 to Rangers - who visit Celtic Park on league duty this Sunday - is a positive to help the squad shrug off what was a major disappointment for the club.
"You never want to get beat off your fierce rivals. That's not a Celtic team, that wasn't us on Sunday. It wasn't a great on our side, it hurt a lot, but you've got to put that aside now," the 20-year-old said.
"That's a good thing about being in Europe. When there are bad moments that happen you've got a game every three days, so you've got a chance to get back on track.
"We take a big ownership of what happened on Sunday and we know we weren't at our best. [Ferencvaros] is a huge game for us and we know we need to repay the fans. We just want to put a real marker down and get us building again."
Donovan also shared his delight at his first Scotland call-up, with new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli adding freshness to his set-up.
"I'm over the moon," he said. "As a young player, it's always a big achievement to play for your country, you want to represent them. I can't wait for it to come.
"Hopefully, I go over there and he sees the real potential in me and hopefully gives me a chance."
Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSManager Martin O'Neill has been speaking to the media before Celtic's opening Europa League match at home to Ferencvaros on Thursday (20:00 BST)
Here are the key points:
O'Neill confirmed forward Camilo Duran is fit and available having missed training on Wednesday after travelling to London for a visa in relation to a Colombia call-up.
The Northern Irishman insists Celtic are looking to "get off to a decent start" in the Europa League and he may have to make changes to the side given the demands of this week, facing Rangers twice either side of this fixture amid a run of "seven games in 22 days".
O'Neill conceded the players are hurting after exiting the League Cup at Ibrox last Sunday. He adds: "We disappointed ourselves, we disappointed our fans and we just have to rise to the occasion. Defeat should hurt. We've done it before. We'll get ourselves right."
He says the 3-0 derby defeat was an "eye-opener" for some of Celtic's new signings, adding: "You've got to find out about players, whether they're capable of dealing with these games. Hopefully, they will be."
The manager pointed to last season's title surge when Celtic found a way to win games "when the odds were piled against us" as inspiration for the immediate challenges ahead. "The season will be tough, tomorrow will be tough. It's up to us to find ways to win football matches regardless of who plays," he says.
When questioned on how to best use Duran given how he has performed as a central striker, O'Neill explained: "He has played in a number of positions for us. I think his best position is either centre forward himself or just off the centre forward. So it's up to us now to develop ways to get the very best out of him."
On the size of challenge against Ferencvaros: "They will be tough. They have three lads who are exceptional players and will cause us lots of problems."
O'Neill is "delighted" for 20-year-old Celtic right-back Colby Donovan to have earned a "deserved" first Scotland call-up.
Image source, SNSCeltic have met Ferencvaros three times in European competition, losing 2-1 at Parkhead in a one-legged Champions League second-round qualifier in 2020 before beating the Hungarians 2-0 at home and 3-2 away in the group stages of the 2021-22 Europa League.
Celtic haven't drawn any of their past 22 home matches in the Europa League since a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahce in October 2015 (W11 L11), losing three of their last five on home soil.
Ferencvaros have only lost one of their past nine group games in the Europa League (W5 D3), losing 4-0 at Nottingham Forest in their final group match of 2025-26.
Six of Ferencvaros' 17 goals in the Europa League last season came via crosses, the most of any side.
Celtic's Callum McGregor has played 74 times in major European competition for the club, the most of any player in Celtic's history. He could become the fifth Scotsman with 75+ games in Europe, after Allan McGregor (78), Billy Bremner (76), David Narey (76) and Kenny Dalglish (75).
Image source, SNSJohn Beaton is the referee - and Nick Walsh the VAR - on Sunday for Rangers' Premiership visit to Celtic in the second Old Firm derby of the season.
Beaton will be assisted at Celtic Park by David McGeachie and Jonathan Bell, with Grant Irvine alongside Walsh in the VAR room.
The Glasgow rivals meet for the second successive weekend after Rangers progressed to the League Cup semi-finals with a commanding 3-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox.
Beaton took charge of one Old Firm derby last season, the 2-2 draw at Ibrox in March where Celtic rallied from two down for a point.
Former Celtic captain Scott Brown hopes recent signing Oliver Sorensen, 24, can provide "physicality" in the Scottish champions' midfield. (Sun, external)
Tino
Fan writer
There's been no shortage of debate since Sunday about what went wrong at Ibrox. And there's just so much to pick apart.
The midfield, the lack of intensity, the absence of control, and the way Rangers were able to impose themselves physically all across the park.
But the more I think about it the more I wonder if at least part of the problem comes back to something much simpler.
Did Celtic make life a lot harder for themselves by moving players away from the positions where they've been most effective?
And in particular, did they do that with Camilo Duran? The Colombian has been arguably Celtic's best player this season.
He has looked dangerous through the middle, carried a genuine goal threat, and given Celtic something they have been missing for a while.
In the three games Kasper Hogh missed through injury, Duran was used in his natural number nine role and provided three goals and two assists.
Then Hogh returned at St Johnstone and Duran was nudged out again. The same happened at Ibrox where he started on the right before switching to the left at half-time.
And although he can be dangerous from those areas too, we saw very little of that on Sunday.
This isn't about writing Hogh off. Far from it. I still think he'll score plenty of goals for Celtic.
But if accommodating both players weakens the one who has been most effective, the question has to be asked about why we've done so.
With Ferencvaros and Rangers coming next Martin O'Neill doesn't need to rip everything up. But he does need to make changes.
Return Duran to the middle - and if that means Hogh starts on the bench then so be it.
Take the underperforming Sebastian Tounekti out of the firing line and bring in the experience and steadiness of James Forrest, at least until Yang Hyun-jun returns.
And start Haissam Hassan on his favoured right-hand side.
But there's also a bold call to be made in midfield. For all Benji Nygren's goals and assists he can become too much of a luxury in games where Celtic need control.
Too often Callum McGregor and Mika Baur have been left with too much ground to cover and too much defensive work to do - and perhaps this is the moment for Oliver Sorensen to show why he was Midtjylland's player of the year in 2023-24.
That one change alone could give Celtic more stability, make us harder to play through, and create the platform for the attacking players to do what they do best.
There's always a temptation after a derby defeat to throw everyone under the bus. But there have still been genuine reasons for optimism this season and Duran is one of the biggest.
Martin O'Neill has described him as a "special player". So play him where he can be most special.
Defeats like Sunday are painful, but can be useful if you learn from them quickly. To make no meaningful changes after what happened at Ibrox would be criminal.
Image source, SNSCeltic defender Colby Donovan has been handed a first Scotland call-up by new national boss Sebastien Pocognoli.
The 20-year-old has made 10 appearances for Celtic this season, where he is preferred at right-back ahead of Scotland international Anthony Ralston in the injury absence of Alistair Johnston.
Donovan joins clubmate Kieran Tierney in Pocognoli's 28-man squad for the opening four Nations League games.
