Celtic v Sporting Braga – An early Europa League kickoff but not our earliest

The game kicks off in the unusual time slot of 5.45pm and if you think that’s early remember the last time we kicked off in an even earlier slot at Paradise in European competition four years ago when we beat Ferencvaros 2-0. That Europa League match under Ange Postecoglou actually started at 3.30pm on a school-day back on 19 October 2021.

The early kick-off (matchday three) was related to the COP26 climate summit that was to take place place in Glasgow a few weeks later, so neither Celtic or theRangers would be allowed to play at home on matchday four.

As a result, both Glasgow sides had to re-arrange their Europa League matchday three games to be played at home. In an additional complication, Celtic and theRangers cannot play at home on the same night so with theRangers playing Brondby at Ibrox on the Thursday, Celtic were forced to play on Tuesday with an earlier kick-off time of 3.30pm due to the Champions League fixtures later that evening in the Europa League match.

Celtic posted this on the official Celtic FC website. “Clearly this is an unfortunate and unique set of circumstances driven by COP26. We fully understand the frustrations of our supporters. We can assure our fans that we have made significant representation at the highest levels to try and avoid this eventuality.

“While these matters are totally outwith our control, once again we want our fans to know that we fully understand the frustration this may cause. However, we do hope you can still join us for each and every game at Celtic Park in this really exciting Group stage.

“We thank you sincerely for your continued support.”

Let’s hope we see a repeat result on Thursday as we aim to solidify a place in the top half of the Europa standings in our aim to automatically qualify for the last 16.

Sporting Braga are a well known name on the European scene, maybe not as famous as their Portuguese counterparts Benfica, Porto, and Sporting, but they are a decent side all the same.

The last time we faced the Portuguese side, indeed the only other time we’ve had the pleasure of facing them, was in a Champions League qualifier doubleheader back in 2010 when Neil Lennon’s side won 2-1 at Celtic Park thanks to goals from Gary Hooper and Efrain Juarez, but unfortunately were eliminated 4-2 on aggregate after a painful 3-0 loss in Portugal.

Currently sitting seventh in the Portuguese Premier Liga, slumped to a home defeat at the hands of Nacional at the  weekend, but Carlos Vicens side made a winning start to their Europa League campaign with a single goal win over Feyenoord.

As well as the obvious Gustaf Lagerbielke connection, ‘Os Arsenalistas’ boast some talented players, such as Uruguayan international midfielder Rodrigo Zalazar, Portuguese international winger Ricardo Horta and the evergreen 39 year old ultra experienced 146 capped Portugal international midfielder Joao Moutinho.

It will be a tough test for Brendan Rodgers and his players, but one we are more than capable of overcoming especially as Celtic has home advantage and hopefully enough in the stadium will provide that Celtic roar we are so used to hearing on big European occasions like this one.