Martin O’Neill has admitted he is concerned by the timing of Celtic’s Champions League qualifying tie later this summer.
The recently confirmed Celtic manager is already looking ahead to one of the biggest early tests of his return, with the Hoops facing a two-legged qualifier towards the end of August.
The issue is not simply the quality of the opposition. It is the timing.
Celtic will have started the domestic campaign by then, but O’Neill believes the teams they are likely to face could have a match sharpness advantage depending on their own summer schedule.
Speaking to Track Radio, O’Neill explained why that has always been a difficult part of the job.
He said: “Absolutely, you’ve nailed it. It’s exactly right. We get a two-legged qualification game come the end or towards the end of August time. We will have started our season, we will be into it by a couple of matches, but the teams that we are likely to face will have had summer times and games in front of us.
“And it’s always, I even felt this going back 20-odd years ago when I was in charge at Celtic, that teams you felt you could definitely beat in, let’s say, early November, you would find really difficult to beat in, let’s say, the second or third week in August because of the match advantages they would have over you.
“So yeah, it’s fraught with difficulty in that sense. Celtic failed last year to make it out, you know, and probably in two games that they would have been expected to go through. So yeah, I would be concerned, but as you say, excited at the same time that there’s an opportunity for that.”
It is a fair warning from O’Neill.
Celtic supporters know how damaging a poor qualifying campaign can be. It shapes the whole season, both financially and on the pitch, and it puts pressure on recruitment before the league campaign has properly settled.
That makes the next few weeks vital.
O’Neill needs players in early, not at the end of the window. Celtic cannot afford to still be piecing together key parts of the squad when Champions League qualification is on the line.
A striker, wide options, goalkeeper clarity and midfield decisions all matter, but the timing matters just as much.
The Irishman clearly understands the danger.
He also understands the prize.
Celtic’s season could look very different depending on what happens over those two August nights. O’Neill has been around long enough to know that European qualifiers are rarely as simple as they look on paper.
That is why his comments should not be brushed aside as caution.
They are a reminder that Celtic’s summer business has to be ready for the Champions League, not just the league opener.
