There is still plenty of work for Martin O’Neill’s Celtic side to do.
Monday night’s 1-0 victory over Dundee wasn’t a vintage performance, but it was a solid way to begin the defence of the Scottish Premiership title.
The Hoops looked a little leggy at times and are clearly still building towards full sharpness after a summer in which just two new signings have arrived.
Yet there were plenty of positives.
Kasper Høgh’s movement suggested the goals will soon follow, Camilo Duran showed flashes of his quality despite operating out of position on the right, while Callum McGregor looked back to his influential best in midfield.
Defensively, there were encouraging signs too.
Cameron Carter-Vickers completed another important 90 minutes as he continues his comeback from a long-term Achilles injury, Auston Trusty dealt well with Dundee’s physical threat, and Kieran Tierney was a constant outlet down the left, eventually providing the cross that Benjamin Nygren headed home for the winning goal.
With a crucial Champions League play-off against LASK looming later this month, the foundations are there even if the team is not yet at full speed.
As supporters look ahead to another European campaign, Chris Sutton took the opportunity to look back at one of Celtic’s most memorable qualifying nights.
The former Hoops striker shared a throwback on Saturday morning marking the 25th anniversary of Celtic’s famous 3-1 victory away to Ajax in the Champions League third qualifying round.
It remains one of the club’s great European away performances.
On that night in Amsterdam, Bobby Petta, Didier Agathe and Chris Sutton all found the net as Martin O’Neill’s side stunned Ajax with a superb first-leg display.
The good old days… https://t.co/fhwFPjnud5
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) August 8, 2026
Although Celtic lost the return leg 1-0 at Parkhead, they progressed 3-2 on aggregate to reach the Champions League group stage for the first time.
With Celtic preparing to face Austrian champions LASK in this season’s play-off, they’ll be looking to take some inspiration from Sutton’s throwback.
And Martin O’Neill will be hoping history can repeat itself over the next few weeks.
If his side can build on the promising signs shown against Dundee, and with further reinforcements still expected before the transfer window closes, Celtic will believe they have every chance of booking their place back among Europe’s elite.
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