According to the official Celtic channels, today’s friendly game against Blackburn is a sold-out gig as fans flock to see the champions return to Paradise for a brand new season.
The Bhoys are back from a successful European trip where they scored 14 goals in three games. Match sharpness and fitness is obviously top priority at this stage of the game but beating any English team is always a good thing considering how the Scottish game is viewed down the south. Remember men against boys?
It’s a 12:30 pm kick-off against the English Championship side as Ange, his backroom team and players face a completely different start to a new season compared to the last one.
This time last year was a rollercoaster for fans and what initially looked like a 2-3 season rebuild turned into unexpected success as the manager fed belief into his players. For their efforts, they got rewarded with a double-winning season and a ticket into the Champions League proper.
With the teams just released, this is how the Champions line up today:
#CelticFC 📋 Starting 𝗫𝗜
The official line-up of our first pre-season match in Paradise!#CELROV | #SuccessNeverRests | #COYBIG 🍀 pic.twitter.com/jT0tfRL4SA
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) July 16, 2022
A really strong starting eleven to start the first half, expect Ange to empty the bench at halftime and fans will get a chance to see new Bhoy Bernabai up close.