CELTIC’S Europa League dates have now been confirmed. We start away to Rennes on 19 September then play Cluj at Celtic Park on 3 October. Our third game, on 24 October is also at home when we take on Lazio. Match-day four sees Celtic travel to Rome to play Lazio in 7 November then it’s home to Rennes on 28 November. We play the final group stage match in Romania on 12 December where hopefully we can celebrate on their pitch with a giant squad huddle, just like the one they did the other week.
19 Sep, Rennes A
3 Oct, Cluj H
24 Oct, Lazio H
7 Nov, Lazio A
28 Nov, Rennes H
12 Dec, Cluj A— Celtic FC SLO (@CelticFCSLO) August 30, 2019
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Fixtures announced ✔️#UELdraw pic.twitter.com/jvolkcJbQr
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) August 30, 2019
“Nothing Inspires forgiveness quite like revenge” Scott Adams
Alongside Italian giants Lazio and PSG’s French Cup conquerors Stade Rennais, today’s Europa League draw has given Celtic the chance for quick revenge and an opportunity to show lessons have been learned.
FC Cluj of Romania will once again be coming to Celtic Park hot on the heels of winning 4-3 on our home turf in a game that left fans experiencing massive frustration. This time we’ll get the chance to right a few wrongs.
There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Celtic will turn that result right around and I’m looking forward to us getting the opportunity to prove it.
It is a really tasty group and goes some way to alleviating the disappointment of missing out again on Champions League football. It will be a competitive foursome for sure but Celtic will know they have as good a chance as any of this side of qualifying from it.
Stade Rennais were recent friendly visitors to Celtic Park in a fairly even goalless encounter but there was enough evidence from that day to suggest the French side will be a tough nut to crack. Their pressing game certainly caused us a few problems. One advantage both sides will have had is we at least know what to expect from each other to some extent.
You have to respect any side who can defeat PSG but when that victory was a Cup Final it indicates we’ll be facing a side of high quality indeed. They’ve even followed that up again by beating PSG at home 2-1 just a couple of weeks ago.
Lazio started their domestic season with a 3-0 away win at Sampdoria and with the likes of Milinkovic and of course Immobile who scored twice at the weekend in their team they’ll be a good side for Celtic to tests themselves against.
It’s difficult to judge at this stage who’d be the toughest opponent but certainly the trip to Rome will be the most intimidating of the three away trips, for the team and the supporters.
But the chance to face our Romanian conquerors so quickly after a self-inflicted defeat is the one I’m probably looking forward to the most.
Neil Lennon made awful tactical errors in the game at home to Cluj. McGregor to left back, not closing the game out at 2-1 or at 3-2 ahead and some strange old substitutions led to a feeling we’d been our own worst enemies on the night. Add to the mix our recruitment drive had all but petered out at that stage it’s not just Neil Lennon who’ll have the chance to show that lessons have been learned.
Hi @EuropaLeague ? Did we not ask you to give us a challenge. I mean Celtic again ????????????????
— CFR Clujj (@CFR_Clujj1907) August 30, 2019
With three days of the transfer window left we’ll need the left full back and central defensive positions strengthened and a midfielder to ease the burden on Callum McGregor and Scott Brown. If we can get two out of those three in we have a squad that should be able to deal with the European adventure alongside the challenge of getting to 9 in a row.
There was a huge negative reaction to the defeat to Cluj and it certainly won’t be forgotten that we gave up Champions league football with more of a whimper than a fight. This Europa group however is a chance to build bridges and show although mistakes were made that we won’t be making them again.
This group indeed is reminiscent of a Europa campaign we faced during Neil Lennon’s first spell in charge. In 2011 it was once again Stade Rennais we faced but this time it was with Atletico Madrid and another Italian side Udinese who had a fine side at the time.
We went to Udinese in the final match needing to win to qualify and a 1-1 draw after leading through a Gary Hooper goal saw us just miss out. Hooper’s goal was cancelled out by Udinese’s legendary striker Antonio Di Natale.
It was from those performances that Neil Lennon and his troops gained confidence in their European abilities and eventually led to a Celtic team competing in the last 16 of the Champions league only twelve months later, a team who defeated possibly the greatest footballing team we’ve ever witnessed in Barcelona 2-1 at Celtic Park. To have even considered the possibility in December 2011 that less than a year later Celtic would be performing and winning at such a level would have led you to question your own sanity.
It is evidence though that confidence and growing as a European side can be gained by playing in the second tier competition. It’s something I hope Celtic can again grow into and who knows in a year or so from now we could be looking at a side ready to compete in the elite trophy once again.
First of all this is the small matter of revenge over a side from Romania and the not insignificant matter of getting our transfer business completed.
After that I’d settle for a little bit of history repeating. Champions League last sixteen next year? I’ll dare to dream.
Niall J
"It’s a great draw. There’s a couple of glamour games there and a chance to maybe exact some sort of retribution on Cluj as well, so we’re delighted to be in there and delighted with the group."
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Neil Lennon gives his thoughts on today's #UELdraw ⬇️
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) August 30, 2019
Also on The Celtic Star…
The Wanyama Window? ‘Better late than never Mr Lawwell, It is time to back your man,’ Niall J…see HERE.
Celtic drawn against Lazio, Rennes and a revenge mission with Cluj in Europa League…see HERE.
Poker Update – Pistol missed the match, ‘No Chance’ of Odsonne sale, Taylor in Time for Sunday?…see HERE.
Trouble in Stockholm – ‘Clear many Hammarby fans were in the Celtic sections,’ Celtic spokesperson…see HERE.
Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Celtic at IKEA HQ, The Flipside of the Cluj Coin…see HERE.
Europa League Completed Pots – teams we’d like Celtic to play and sides we’d like to avoid…see HERE.
Lennon deserves praise for the way Celtic dealt with AIK Stockholm reckons David Potter…see HERE.
AIK 1 Celtic 4 – Crowd Trouble on the Day We Win Away…see HERE.
