Celtic

• Josh McPake has scored (3) or assisted (3) six of Hearts' last seven goals scored from open play in the Scottish Premiership.

• No player has more goal involvements (7 – 4 goals, 3 assists) or chances created both overall (21) and from open play (19) in the Scottish Premiership this season than Celtic's Benjamin Nygren.

• Heart of Midlothian have scored more goals from set-pieces (excl. penalties) than any side in the Scottish Premiership this season (6). Indeed, each of Hearts' last four league goals against Celtic have come from set plays (3x corner, 1x free-kick).

• Celtic lead the 2026-27 Scottish Premiership for total shots (165), while no side has faced fewer shots in the division this term than Hearts (76, level with Rangers).

• Hearts have only won two of their last 11 away league outings (D3 L6), failing to keep a single clean sheet in this period.

• Celtic have won 14 of their last 15 league games (L1), scoring 2+ goals in 11 of those. Since the start of April, no other side has won 10+ Scottish Premiership matches.

• Last season, Heart of Midlothian picked up seven points in four league games against Celtic (W2 D1 L1), the most by a side other than Rangers in a single campaign since Motherwell in 1999-00 (also 7), and Hearts' most since 1994-95 (8).

• Celtic have won 26 of their last 29 home league games against Hearts (D1 L2), although have lost two of their last six (W4).

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Martin O'Neill believes that Sunday's Premiership match against Hearts will be "every bit as tough" as last season's final day battle as the two sides prepare for their first meeting this season.

Last season's finale will live long in the memory of many Scottish football fans as Celtic pipped Hearts to win the league.

However, O'Neill believes that last season wasn't a one-off for Hearts and tips them to challenge for the title yet again.

"I think it will be every bit as tough as it was on the last day of the season.

"I genuinely do [think they are title challengers]

"I think they've got the capability, I know they've lost the two games, but overall, I do, I think they can challenge.

"I think they've got the pedigree, and I think they'll maybe want to change last season's results.

"I'm quite sure that those players who played in that game will have something to want to retrieve and certainly want to put right again."

Celtic's sole win in this fixture last season came on the final day when two late goals won them the title, and O'Neill knows that this time around his team will need to be full of energy to deal with a "very impressive" Hearts side.

"It looks as if they've got over that disappointment because they've been roaring back.

"You know, you'd have thought opening the game of the season to lose that, they might, not so much crumble, but maybe feel as if they lost a couple of players and lost their manager, maybe thinking that it's not going to happen for them.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor told TNT Sports: "Disappointing result.

"We were here to get points and win.

"We were playing against a really good side with with really good quality in final third.

"First half we didn't help ourselves.

"Second half we score one, probably could score another.

"Bit of a game of two halves.

"Unforced errors lead to the second and third goals and you have a mountain to climb.

"We know at this level if you don't look after the ball you're going to get punished."

Celtic fans, we asked for your views on your side's 4-1 loss to Benfica in the Europa League.

Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Con: Are we even Europa level? I am not so sure. Our record in Europe under various managers is pathetic in the past 15 years. A long season ahead with this management team and board in place. Again.

Gerry: It's not about tonight's result, it's about a rot that set in at Celtic FC a long time ago.

It's time for the board to take responsibility and go. What is the point in winning the league to be embarrassed every season in Europe? More pain to come for sure. Celtic aside, Scottish football, both national and clubs, are becoming a laughing stock.

John: Typical display again. All the talk beforehand about what they are going to do. The whole team look very disjointed. Poor, poor defending. Never win a game when the defence is so bad. I think a few first choices need to be dropped. Give the fringe players a chance. Can't do any worse.

Paul: Another spineless and humiliating performance from a Celtic team playing in Europe, and once again being totally outplayed by a classy Benfica side from the outset.

Defensively inept and naive at times, especially inside the first few minutes of the game, which is now sadly becoming a huge factor as to why Celtic's recent results in Europe have been so bad, and it's simply well below the standards required at this club. Unfortunately, this Celtic team's modus operandi in European football is now going to define them, and it's definitely not going to change anytime soon.

Michael: The coaching team are responsible for that dreadful performance. You know it will be a tough night, and yet you set up in the same formation as you did at Motherwell. Inept and amateur, the management have no credibility with the players and even less with the fans. Let's not kid ourselves, Benfica were in second gear in the second half, they were slicing us open at will. A few shots off the post should not disguise the depths we have fallen to.

Complete apathy from the support now, and O'Neill's comments were baffling.

Sally: Poor performance from Celtic. Fans blame the board... let the manager choose the players he needs in the transfer market. Money is not always a factor in player choice... it is compatibility, skill, awareness and a willingness to work for the team.

Mike: The club is toxic from the top. Need a reset starting with who controls the club and the governance. Last season MON masked the deficiencies, but no longer. The club just isn't together.

Gordon: No one is surprised by the result, it's the performance that's maddening. The failure to strengthen the defence over the past few windows was bound to cost Celtic, and now it has. Unfortunately, some new signings haven't stepped up yet either.

George: Must be the weakest Celtic team ever.

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Martin O'Neill's "patience is running a bit thin" with Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran is likely to spearhead the attack against Hearts on Sunday, former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan has suggested.

The Dane was overshadowed by his fellow summer signing again as O'Neill's side suffered another Europa League disappointment, going down 4-1 to Benfica in Lisbon.

"I think you could tell from Martin O'Neill's interview after the game that it is as if his patience is running a bit thin with Kasper Hogh," Allan told the BBC Scottish Football Podcast.

"I think I would expect to see Duran through the middle. I think he's much better outlet at this moment in time.

"I'm not saying that Hogh's not going to come good, but I just think it's now time for him to take a rest out of the team."

Allan thought Celtic looked more dangerous when Callum Osmand and Haissem Hassan came on half time on the wings, with Duran through the middle.

He understood why O'Neill preferred to look at the positives considering Benfica "are really formidable at home" and "have quality throughout their squad" and it could have got "really ugly" considering the Portuguese were already leading 3-0 by half-time.

However, Allan thought that "collectively, defensively, I don't think they're quite there yet, especially at that level".

"Anytime they've had a test against better opposition this season, they just haven't performed defensively well enough," he said.

While he would still have Celtic as favourites, Allan has been impressed with "what Wouter Vrancken's trying to create there at Hearts" and they "were really brave" in their 1-1 Conference League draw at home to Nordsjaelland.

He was impressed with Oisin McEntee and Laurent Mendy in central midfield and thought Hearts would arrive at Celtic Park trying to play more on the front foot than under Derek McInnes last season and have players "who can make it uncomfortable" for Celtic.

Celtic winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha believes the Scottish champions' refusal to allow him a loan move to a Major League Soccer club last season cost him a place in DR Congo's World Cup squad and the 25-year-old hopes his current loan to Gent can become permanent. (Scottish Sun, external)

Algeria winger Fares Ghedjemis, the 24-year-old who was wanted by Celtic and Rangers this summer, says he decided to stay and extend his contract with promoted Frosinone because they persuaded him they had the ambition to become a major club in Italy. (The Herald, external)

Former Celtic captain Scott Brown has revealed he rejected the chance to become Cheltenham Town manager, who made him an offer just days after he left his role at Fleetwood Town. (The Warm-up, external)

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Image source, Getty Images

Celtic slumped to a fourth defeat in five matches as Benfica swept to a comprehensive Europa League victory in Lisbon.

Read the match report

Have your say

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Celtic manager Martin O'Neill tells TNT Sports: "Last thing you want to do is concede so early on. We could've capitulated, but I thougt the second-half performance was terrific. We created chance after chance.

"The second-half performance gives me the determination... I think we can still qualify. We can still do it.

"We came roaring back, the subs came on and did brilliantly. We could've scored a number of goals. It changed because two wide players really wanted to get at people.

"I accept on the break they could have scored themselves, as they did with their fourth goal."

When asked if he will take his side's second-half showing into Sunday's encounter with Hearts, he responds: "Absolutely."

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Benfica midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov says playing against Celtic "feels almost like a derby" and has fond memories of a 1-1 draw in Glasgow while playing for Shakhtar Donetsk.

"Celtic is a truly great club," the 24-year-old said before Thursday's Europa League game in Lisbon. "I've played against them before with Shakhtar in the Champions League and it's a game that means something special to me. It's a big game.

"Honestly, the atmosphere at that game was incredible - something truly special. When I played there, I was 19 years old, very young, and it was crazy. After that experience, I've never been able to forget that atmosphere."

Sudakov joined Benfica this summer from Shakhtar for a club record £23m after a season on loan with an obligation to buy.

"Last season, I thought about it a lot and felt some pressure because of it," he said. "But now it doesn't matter anymore."

Sudakov said new head coach Marco Silva "put my mind at ease" and "maybe I feel more freedom now" than he had under Jose Mourinho, although he points out that he had injury frustrations last season.

"I don't think I've even reached my best as a player yet," he admitted and is relieved to have scored his first goal of the season in Sunday's 2-0 win over Vitoria Guimaraes after recovering from a knock picked up playing for Ukraine.

"I went about 10 months without scoring - obviously, it's tough," he said. "In my position, I have to put up numbers.

"Goals and assists are very important to me, but I was calm because I felt the goal would eventually come, and I hope to start scoring more often now."

Sudakov came on for the final 20 minutes on Sunday, on-loan Manchester City midfielder Claudio Echeverri having been handed the number 10 role, but the Ukrainian believes his goal shows they can play together.

"He's a fantastic player," he added. "You can really see his quality - he adds a lot to our team.

"Maybe my natural position is number 10, but I don't feel uncomfortable playing as an eight or a six."

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Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo says the squad are relishing the challenge of facing Benfica and hopes they can raise their level to compete against an elite European side.

After a home loss to Ferencvaros in their Europa League opener, they now face an even tougher test in the Estadio da Luz.

Marco Silva's side beat AC Milan 2-0 in their opening fixture and sit second in their domestic league, behind champions Porto.

Despite the hosts being heavily favoured, Sinisalo hopes his side can find their stride and reckons they have the quality to go toe-to-toe with them.

"Everyone understands how much of a difficult challenge it's going to be, they've got a lot of quality footballers, so do we," the Finnish goalkeeper said.

"[They have] a lot of footballers that play for their countries, again, so do we.

"So it's a challenge that we're relishing. It's a chance to raise your levels and go and play at a very high level against a very good team.

"So that's something that everyone should relish and really enjoy."

The goalkeeper's spot in the starting line-up has been under threat since the arrival of Sam Johnstone on loan at the start of the season.

The new arrival had displaced Sinisalo, but the Finland international now appears to be Martin O'Neil's number one choice once again, something he is determined to maintain.

"Every footballer wants to play, that's no different with me, but you understand there's competition for places and that's only good," he added.

"Ultimately, that, in my opinion, brings the best out of everyone."

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Benfica head coach Marco Silva believes his side are one of "three, four, or five major European clubs" more accustomed to the Champions League who are capable of winning the Europa League this season.

The Portuguese thrashed Hearts 6-0 at home in the qualifiers, but the former Fulham boss is expecting "a different kind of game" against Celtic on Thursday, partly because of it is not "a do-or-die situation" this time and partly because of "the stature of our opponent".

"Their track record of titles and dominance in Scottish football speaks for itself," Silva said.

He pointed out that Celtic will be determined to bounce back from their opening defeat at home to Ferencvaros while also taking heart from his own side's 2-0 win over AC Milan.

We got off to a very good start, earning three points in an extremely difficult away game, and we'll have to build on that, while showing great respect for Celtic and their quality," Silva said, expecting the game to draw a large crowd.

"You can tell there's an increasingly strong bond between the team and the fans and, when that happens, we become very strong. During the league phase, all three points are essential for us.

"Looking at the Europa League, there are three, four, or five major European clubs there - clubs far more accustomed to the Champions League than to the Europa League.

"But that, in and of itself, isn't a sign of favoritism or that you're going to win the next game. We have to prove it, step by step, in this league phase and then in the knockout stage."

A 3-1 league defeat by Porto before the international break was Benfica's first loss since Swiss side St Gallen beat them in their opening 2-1 first-leg Europa League qualifying tie in the opening game of the season, but they bounced back with a 2-0 win at home to Vitoria Guimaraes on Sunday.

"We need to look back at our last game, specifically the first half-hour, when our team played at an exceptionally high level," Silva added.

"We've already analysed it and figured out why we weren't as strong in the second half - not in terms of controlling the game, which we ultimately managed to do, but in terms of our performance."

Former Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp has revealed Neil Lennon tried to sign him for Celtic twice but cites his deep-rooted love for the Blades as the reason it never happened. (Arif Ahmed on X, external)

Celtic B striker Lucas Clearie, 17, trained with the first team before the Scottish champions' Europa League match against Benfica. (The Herald, external)

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Lisbon

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Celtic manager Martin O'Neill and goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo have been speaking to the media 24 hours before they face Benfica in Lisbon on match-day two of the Europa League. These are the key points:

• Cameron Carter-Vickers remains sidelined having not trained this morning before the team headed to Portugal.

• Camilo Duran was also absent from training with his partner due to give birth today though O'Neill hasn't completely ruled the Colombia international out of the game.

• O'Neill hopes the club's famous European Cup win in the city can galvanise his players as they look for their first win of this season's competition. But he also insists they are separate entities.

• The Celtic boss acknowledged that Benfica are one of the favourites to win the Europa League.

• O'Neill insists their Thursday night commitments are welcome when asked if Rangers' being out of Europe hands them an advantage in the Premiership title race.

• Sinisalo says he and some of his team-mates visited the Estadio Nacional in pre-season last year and hope to use that inspiration for this match.

• The Finland international says he and the other players will relish the challenge of raising their game at the Estadio Da Luz.

Image source, SNS

Former winger Aiden McGeady has expressed cautious optimism as Celtic prepare for the kind of test in which they have "come up short this season".

The 40-year-old praised the response from Martin O'Neill's side, who returned from the extended international break with a dominant victory over Motherwell.

Celtic had gone into the interval on the back of three consecutive defeats, with losses to Rangers bookending a disappointing Europa League opener at home to Ferencvaros.

Those results, along with their Champions League capitulation away to LASK, mean McGeady is not entirely convinced as his former club prepare for Thursday's trip to Benfica.

"You saw with the performance at the weekend, it was improved from the Rangers game," he told BBC Radio Scotland.

"There's cause for optimism because Celtic had to bounce back, but it was against a poor Motherwell team.

"It's a big game tomorrow night. These are the games Celtic have come up short in this season."

McGeady was also asked about the ongoing friction between Celtic's hierarchy and their fanbase.

The former Everton winger added: "There are a lot of different dynamics going on with the disconnect between the supporters and the club.

"The supporters are feeling their voice isn't being heard firmly enough. It's not a good situation. A bit of transparency is needed between the club and the fans.

"There has to be a relationship going forward. The one there now is broken."

Image source, Getty Images

• Celtic have lost their past four away matches in Portugal in all European competition, though this is their first visit since losing 2-1 to Benfica in November 2012.

• Benfica have a 100% win ratio at home against Celtic in major European competition, winning all four games by an aggregate score of 9-1.

• Celtic have kept just two clean sheets in their past 29 Europa League matches and were beaten 3-1 by Ferencvaros on matchday one this season.

• Benfica are unbeaten in their past 11 Europa League group-stage matches (W8 D3), scoring at least two goals in all 11 games since a 1-0 defeat to AEK Athens back in October 2009.

• Jakub Kaminski both scored and assisted for Benfica in their 2-0 win over AC Milan on matchday one. Only six players have scored in their first two major European appearances for Benfica, most recently Kerem Akturkoglu in the 2024-25 season.

Former striker Chris Sutton insists Celtic are too big to write off this season's Europa League campaign - and has backed mis-firing striker Kasper Hogh to come good on the big stage against Benfica. (Daily Record)

Former Celtic, Hibernian and Scotland forward Derek Riordan has revealed he could have signed for Rangers twice, but the Ibrox club refused to offer enough money. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.