Celtic vs Man City LIVE: 4-3 thriller as it happened, reaction, highlights

Celtic vs Chelsea up next

Our live coverage of Celtic’s win over Manchester City ends here but there is more Bhoys action to look forward to this week.

Brendan Rodgers takes his team to the iconic Notre Dame University on Saturday to face Chelsea.

Kick-off for that one is at the more reasonable time of 9pm in Scotland, 4pm local stadium time.

We’ll have live coverage throughout the evening as Celtic aim to make it three wins from three in the USA.

Goodbye for now!

Steve Howey impressed by Celtic

The former Man City man told the club’s channel: “You’ve got to say that Celtic just look quicker, look stronger, look fitter and I think it was a little bit of an eye-opener, especially on the left-hand side, the lad who got the two goals.

“He’s dangerous and he gives anybody a hard time. I think if he comes across fullbacks, week in week out, who’s fit he would still give them a hard time and give players a hard time in the Premier League.”

Star Bhoy

Stand out performer Nicolas Kuhn gave his reaction to the match to Celtic TV.

Joleon Lescott on Celtic win over Man City

Speaking to Man City TV the former defender thought his old club’s youngsters will have learned valuable lessons vs the Bhoys, stating: “It’s not about them doing well it’s about them learning and you sometimes learn more from bad experiences.

“So that’s important the fact that they’ve been able to experience different players and for a lot of them this will be the highest level of competitive opponent that they have faced.

“Whether it’s pace, tactical ability or the understanding of the game, they wouldn’t have experienced all them components in one game so far.

“So it’s a massive learning curve and hopefully something then they’ll cherish and realise there’s still a long way to go for them as individuals.”

Celtic fans react to Nicolas Kuhn display

Don’t just take my word for it. Many fans are enthused about the winger after his Man City display.

It’s just pre-season but hopes are high that Kuhn can carry strong form into the upcoming game at home to Kilmarnock and beyond.

Nicolas Kuhn’s performance vs Man City has the Celtic fans all saying the same thing

Celtic complete the secong leg of their US Tour with an impressive 4-3 win over Man City in Chapel Hill in the early hours of…

Watch all the goals as Celtic beat Man City

The English club already have match highlights of the 4-3 result up on their YouTube channel and it’s a fun watch if you missed the game live.

Brendan Rodgers on Nicolas Kuhn

The German winger was superb against City and Brendan Rodgers was understandably full of praise for him post-match.

He said: “In the first year Nicolas Kuhn was adapting but he’s come back looking really sharp. The moves for the goals were outstanding. The play through City’s press and pressure, we built it up really well.

“His pass for the third goal was just magical really. We wanted to let him play a bit longer but he just felt a bit in his name. He was very good.”

Brendan Rodgers buzzes with Celtic display

The manager was visibly delighted and you can watch his post-match media interview below.

Pep Guardiola praises Celtic after Bhoys beat Man City

The Manchester City boss said in a post-match media conference: “We had senior players up front but in the back four we had players that are so young. So it’s difficult in one department when all of them are so young.

“Many things that I saw were nice. We created a lot of chances. We scored but we could not control the transitions well because they are so very good with the pace and quality they have.

“They had a better rhythm than us. You know that you have to live with these kinds of situations in pre-season.

“They linked really well inside, we couldn’t cover that well. It is what it is. Sometimes it can happen. I give credit to the quality of them because the effort was there.”

Reaction as Celtic get the better of Man City

This was a fun watch. It had all the hallmarks of a pre-season game so nothing too much can be read into the result but Celtic, like against DC United, showed up well.

Nicolas Kuhn was undoubtedly the star of the show with a superb first-half performance that had City chasing his shadows.

The winger netted twice and set up Kyogo with a sumptuous assist to give Celtic a 3-1 lead at the interval.

Predictably the game deteriorated as many substitutions were made but the Bhoys finished the game strongly and managed to get themselves back in front through Luis Palma after City rallied.

There were lots of positives here, notably the effort with which Celtic were pressing and closing down the opposition. Brendan Rodgers has called for more defensive intensity and that was on show tonight.

With a cutting edge in attack too, plenty of confidence will be taken into Saturday night’s match against Chelsea.

We’ll have plenty of reaction from both camps throughout the more reasonable morning hours but for now, goodbye!

FULL-TIME: Celtic 4-3 Man City

Celtic have beaten Man City in a seven-goal epic that fans and neutrals could enjoy in equal measure.

Mikey Johnston gets a chance

Celtic exploit City in the wide areas again with Luis Palma the man in possession bearing down on the box.

His prodded cross is a good one and meets the head of Mikey Johnston but the homegrown attacker can’t direct his header to trouble the City goal.

Celtic keep up the effort

Celtic, despite all the changes, are still working hard and pressing City well. Pep Guardiola’s side are being forced into some passing mistakes.

Rodgers will be happy to see his fringe players follow his tactics and instructions closely even with little on the line in the match.

A further Bhoys goal on the break isn’t impossible here.

Sweet Carolina

Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate had some nice combinations in midfield tonight, helping Kuhn and Kyogo find their goals.

20 minutes to go

All of the substitutions for both sides have turned the match into a bit of a ramshackle affair, as you would expect.

There could be a few more goals in this with so much space opening up and players unfamiliar with regular senior football all over the pitch.

GOAL! Celtic 4-3 Man City

The Bhoys are back in the lead!

It’s Luis Palma who slides the ball home with ease after the Bhoys excellently spring the offside trap and overwhelm Ederson in goal.

Celtic substitutions

Yuki Kobayashi, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Colby Donovan, Matthew Anderson, Hyeokkyu Kwon, Odin Holm and Luis Palma are all on.

Liam Scales, Stephen Welsh, Anthony Ralston, Greg Taylor, Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Kyogo make way.

Around 25 minutes are remaining.

Bhoys spring into life

Hope for Rodgers’ side as James Forrest gets himself forward on the right flank before switching play to Mikey Johnston.

Johnston cuts in and gets a shot away in trademark fashion but the low effort is blocked.

Celtic face waves of City attack

The Premier League winners have serious intent now and the Celtic performance has weakened since the substitutions.

Erling Haaland is in the mood again and hits a fierce shot from the edge of the box which thankfully goes wide.

GOAL! Celtic 3-3 Man City

The two sides trade phases of possession and it’s Jack Grealish who pushes forward to make something happen.

He creates a bit of space for himself to get a shot away which is diverted for a corner.

City recycle and continue to probe, with a high Oscar Bobb cross coming in for Erling Haaland to finish with a header. The English side have been better since the interval.

Sinisalo save

The Finn is called into action to deny City after some short team passing presents Joel Ndala with a shooting opportunity on the left-hand side of the box. A good stop.

GOAL! Celtic 3-2 Man City

I didn’t even have time to write the kick-off update.

Oscar Bobb does well on the right flank to play in Maximo Perrone who makes no mistake with a shot across Sinisalo into the far corner.

Second-half kick-off – Celtic substitutions

Perhaps fearing a second-half transfer bid from Man City, Brendan Rodgers has subbed off Nicolas Kuhn for James Forrest.

Mikey Johnston has come on for Daizen Maeda.

Tomoki Iwata is in for Matt O’Riley.

Viljami Sinisalo has also replaced Kasper Schmeichel.

The man of the moment

Yes, it’s only pre-season but Nicolas Kuhn has turned a few heads with that first-half performance. Fans will be excited to see how his attacking form transfers to competitive matches.

Half-time Stats

Celtic enjoyed 56% of possession to City’s 44%.

The Bhoys had seven shots in total, four of them on target.

Nicolas Kuhn was the side’s top performer, creating three chances, registering an assist and scoring twice. He had 24 touches and almost all of them were good.

Matt O’Riley has performed well too, winning the majority of his duels and two tackles. He’s created a chance and all three of his long ball passes found their man.

A treat for American Celtic fans

They don’t get to watch Celtic in the flesh often but that would have been a fun first half to witness.

Schmeichel impresses on Celtic debut

Kasper Schmeichel doesn’t look like he’s arriving straight off a holiday onto the football pitch. He’s done well to keep City at bay in the first half, making two strong stops from Erling Haaland.

HALF-TIME: Celtic 3-1 Man City

The Scottish champions deserve their advantage over their English counterparts.

There are caveats to the scoreline including the youthful look to the City side but Celtic have put together some blistering combinations to destroy Pep Guardiola’s defence.

Nicolas Kuhn has been unplayable with two goals and a wonderful assist. Worth staying up for, I’d say.

GOAL! Celtic 3-1 Man City

This is a masterclass from Nicolas Kuhn. The winger produces a pass of the highest quality with the outside of his boot to find Kyogo.

This time the Japanese striker shows the correct composure to take the ball around Stefan Ortega and slide the ball home.

Excellent, excellent football.

Chance Celtic!

More vibrant attacking football from Celtic. This time it’s Maeda running at the City defence, causing unease. His dribbling ends in a fierce shot but it goes just wide.

City can’t control Kuhn

The winger finds himself in acres of space again, this time he tries to turn provider by setting up an onrushing Reo Hatate with a cutback but the Japanese midfielder can only powerfully fire wide.

GOAL! Celtic 2-1 Man City

Nicolas Kuhn is on fire!

Reo Hatate frees the German winger with a quality through ball. Similarly to the first goal Kuhn dribbles into the box, but instead of firing an early shot, he takes his time to cut back and create space for himself. He finishes superbly.

Another fantastic goal.

A preventable goal

“If you make errors against quality teams you get punished.”

Peter Grant notes on Celtic TV it was Stephen Welsh losing possession with a bit of slack distribution that led to the goal. A tough lesson for the Bhoys defender.

GOAL! Celtic 1-1 Man City

That had been coming ever since I cursed Celtic by praising the performance.

Oscar Bobb gets on the end of a loose ball in the Bhoys box to fire in low. Schmeichel attempts to save but the ball bobbles up from under him and frustratingly finds the back of the net.

Grealish still causing problems

Jack Grealish looks the most likely to create something for City. Urgent work on the left flank sees the Englishman then drift into the central area to feed James McAtee.

The youngster can’t get a controlled shot off.

Grealish comes again in another attacking phase and Erling Haaland pops up to threaten but Schmeichel makes a strong save.

Brendan Rodgers will be loving this

We’re over halfway through the first 45 minutes and Celtic deserve their lead. Yes, it’s mostly a team of City youth players but, like against DC United, the Bhoys are putting in the hard work, showing lots of energy in and out of possession.

Man City find themselves again

The English side undoubtedly have a bit of class and quality. A nice passing combination unlocks a – to this point – quiet Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian has a chance to finish but Kasper Schmeichel stands up well to deny him.

Celtic continue to push

More strong work from O’Riley wins possession back in the Celtic half before the midfielder rakes a superb ball forward for Daizen Maeda.

The winger threatens but his cross can’t connect with Kyogo and it goes out for a corner. There’s no subsequent chance from the set-piece.

GOAL! Celtic 1-0 Man City

I did mark out Nicolas Kuhn as a potential danger man pre-match and he has delivered.

Kyogo, Hatate and O’Riley combine beautifully in midfield before Kuhn surges free onto a through ball and carries it to the six-yard line, finishing coolly past Ortega.

Great goal!

End-to-end

We’re only 10 minutes in but this is already a quick, open game. Celtic are trying to get in Man City’s faces and the English side are showing enough quality of their own to get up the pitch in response.

A few Celtic fouls keep City frustrated.

Chance Celtic!

The returning Daizen Maeda terrorises Man City down the left wing before firing in a fine low cross for Kyogo to have a go.

The striker arguably should have hit the target but his clever movement isn’t followed up with an effective shot and it goes wide. Good play though.

Man City show immediate threat

The English champions are gliding up the pitch and some fine work from Jack Grealish creates an opportunity for Nico O’Reilly but his attempt at goal is blocked for a corner – which comes to nothing.

Lively pressing

Celtic are showing early energy and trying to keep Man City pushed back in possession with goalkeeper Stefan Ortega put under a bit of pressure until the referee blew for a foul.

Kick-off

There’s the Celtic huddle, a bit of cheer and it’s the Bhoys who kick us off in North Carolina.

The show goes on

The organisers are treating this like a World Cup Final. It’s a big production with trophies, dramatic music, a slow walk to the photo opportunity and all the rest.

I’m ready for this ball to be kicked.

Pomp and circumstance

If you watch a lot of American sports you’ll know they absolutely love a big build-up to kick off with national anthems and PA systems blaring to hype the crowd up regardless of the occasion.

That’s what is happening here as we await the players coming out.

Teams up the tunnel

Despite the threat of storms, it looks to be a lovely night in North Carolina with the setting sun shining over Kenan Stadium.

The starting players are off up the tunnel and we’re due to get underway shortly.

City full circle

Don’t forget that Kasper Schmeichel started his career at Manchester City where he was the teammate of a certain Joe Hart.

They’ve remained friends ever since and Schmeichel explained over the weekend that Hart had given a glowing recommendation of life at Celtic.

Warm-ups well underway

Both teams have been out for their pre-match warm-ups so any weather delay appears to have been put to one side, for now.

Which is a big relief for those of us live blogging after midnight in Scotland.

Kasper Schmeichel ready to ‘thrive’ at Celtic

The big goalkeeper said pre-match: “I think the biggest challenge is always making sure that you perform and that’s what I’m here to do.

“I’m brought here to do a job and to be the best I can be for the team to help this team keep winning, keep progressing.

“It’s a new kind of experience for me in the sense that I’m coming into a team that has a huge history of winning and that hasn’t been something I’ve done too many times in my life.

“So in that sense, I’m really looking forward to the challenge of coming into a club that’s used to excellence, that’s used to having the highest of standards and that’s the kind of thing I usually thrive on.”

Weather update

They’re now allowing fans back into the stadium after an earlier severe weather evacuation, per Daily Mail journalist Jack Gaughan.

Kuhn on the wing

Nicolas Kuhn was a bright spark in the first half of the win over DC United, providing a strong attacking threat on the right flank.

Building on that tonight with another good performance would be very welcome indeed after an inconsistent start to life at Celtic.

Kuhn has talent and is one of the players who could benefit most from a full pre-season working under Brendan Rodgers.

Weather problems

This doesn’t bode well. There are reports of stadium evacuation notices due to severe weather. A storm is expected in the area and it must be a big one.

There could be a possible delay to kick-off here.

Haaland gets the nod

Erling Haaland scored 38 goals in 43 appearances for Manchester City last season, so no pressure on Stephen Welsh and Liam Scales tonight then!

It’s early pre-season but this will still represent a significant test for the Bhoys defence. But it’s a welcome one with tough challenges ahead including a new look Champions League group stage.

Confirmed Man City team vs Celtic

Starting XI: Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Simpson-Pusey, Mbete, Wilson-Esbrand, Phillips, O’Reilly, McAtee, Bobb, Grealish, Haaland.

Substitutes: Ederson, Carson, Perrone, Wright, Katongo, Ndala, Galvez, Susoho, Oboavwoduo, Heskey, Doyle, Fatah, Mfuni, Hamilton.

The verdict on Celtic line-up vs City

Brendan Rodgers has wasted no time in getting Kasper Schmeichel involved and that is great to see. The Dane only arrived to meet his teammates on Saturday so this is a quick turnaround on a debut.

He will likely only get 45 minutes as has been the custom with goalkeepers this pre-season but he’ll build nicely towards that upcoming Kilmarnock match. Viljami Sinisalo is on hand to fill in.

Elsewhere it’s a pretty strong eleven as far as friendlies go with arguably the best player in each position from the currently available pool.

Cameron Carter-Vickers doesn’t feature having only returned to training recently so he’ll be in line to face Chelsea on Saturday.

Confirmed Celtic team vs Man City

Starting XI: Schmeichel, Ralston, Welsh, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, O’Riley, Hatate, Kuhn, Maeda, Kyogo.

Substitutes: Sinisalo, Bain, Lagerbielke, Palma, Yang, Holm, Kobayashi, Kwon, Iwata, Anderson, Lawal, Murray, Forrest, Dede, Donovan, Turley, M. Johnston.

Greg Taylor’s contract

New comments are coming out ahead of tomorrow’s papers. The Celtic left-back was asked about his future given he has less than a year left on his current deal but there has been no progress to report on talks.

He said [Daily Record]: “No, nothing. We’ll see what happens. I honestly don’t know, I think I’ve got 10 months left. It’s football, it’s business. You understand that’s part of it. So I’m sure these things eventually work their selves out.

“Is it on my mind? Not at the forefront, I wouldn’t say so. But of course, you’ve got 10 months left in your contract, you know the situation you’re in. So we’ll just see what happens.”

Kasper Schmeichel heading for Celtic debut

We asked the question earlier and it seems it’s been answered. Match organisers FC Series have spotted the goalkeeper’s kit in the dressing room and it appears he’s heading for his debut as a starter or off the bench.

The confirmed team news isn’t far away.

Brendan Rodgers and Kasper Schmeichel

You can hear everything Brendan Rodgers and Kasper Schmeichel had to say ahead of Man City in the pre-match media conference from Monday.

Tonight’s venue

Kenan Stadium is a 50,000-capacity arena that hosts the North Carolina Tar Heels college football team.

They’ve relaid the entire surface for Tuesday night’s game and organisers were hoping for a bit of rain pre-match to help it knit together.

It’s not quite the Fenway Park experience when Celtic faced off against Sporting Lisbon in 2010 but it’s still a grand old iconic stadium nonetheless.

Matt O’Riley’s noisy summer

Matt O’Riley is acquitting himself very well in pre-season considering all the talk around his future.

Two goals wearing the captain’s armband in Washington sent a message he won’t let the speculation be a detriment to his or the team’s performances.

Multiple transfer bids have been received for his services but Celtic hold a strong hand.

We’ve taken a look at the current state of play this summer.

The agent effort behind Matt O’Riley transfer situation as Celtic field another lowball bid

The Matt O’Riley Celtic exit chatter is turning into what some would describe as a transfer saga with reports of rejected bids and multiple rounds…

Celtic fans are arriving

We’re expecting the confirmed team line-up in less than an hour and Celtic supporters are enjoying the fanzone activities ahead of kick-off.

One to watch – James McAtee

McAtee was praised by Pep Guardiola in his pre-match press conference and is set to get a good opportunity to show what he can do against Celtic tonight.

The Man City boss said: “He’s a special guy who can play in space in the pockets. I think he grew up in terms of physicality and mentality, when you play in the Premier League fighting for relegation you get something special.”

The young midfielder was actually linked with a move to the Bhoys last summer before ending up at Sheffield United on loan for a second successive season and getting an education at the bottom end of the league.

It’ll be interesting to see what he has to offer tonight.

Brendan Rodgers on Celtic in the USA

Following up on the discussion of that connection with the North American Celtic support, it’s worth noting what the Celtic manager had to say about this summer’s trip.

Rodgers stated: “Celtic is a worldwide institution. There are so many Irish American people out here and Celtic supporters in general in America, so to get that opportunity to meet the supporters is just as important for us.

“I was here as a young coach when I was developing. The tactical level of the players and understanding of the game, the level of the coaching, they work so hard at the game and they have so much passion for the sport.

“I think that work ethic then spreads to the players and we’ve seen so many fantastic players from the USA. So it’s not a surprise with the sporting excellence in so many sports that it will spread to football and it will continue to grow and evolve.”

Celtic’s American upside

“The club are smart to leverage that by touring the US. There is a huge Irish and Scottish diaspora in the country, particularly on the East Coast. As such, there is a huge pool of potential Celtic fans.

“It’s hard to calculate on a linear basis, but with match participation fees against Man City, Chelsea and DC United, commercial tie-ins and merchandise sales, I think you’re looking at around £2m in revenue from the tour.

“That’s before you factor in the intangible benefits – brand exposure and the like.”

The thoughts of football finance and governance expert Adam Williams who spoke to 67 Hail Hail earlier today.

Plenty of fans are frustrated that the club are retaining so much cash without spending much on the squad – we do need to see money invested in players – but it’s undeniable that this tour has been another smart move off the pitch.

You can read Adam’s full comments on the USA tour below.

Celtic’s USA tour income and ‘intangible’ commercial benefits are another big off the pitch win

Celtic’s Summer Tour of the USA has, so far, been a big success considering the club is only a week into it. As well as…

Shooting Hoops

The Celtic squad have enjoyed a few basketball sessions since arriving in the USA and they were invited to the UNC court – where iconic legend Michael Jordan did great things – for another bit of fun after training work.

Man City’s current USA tour squad

Pep Guardiola isn’t wrong with that 80-85% assessment. There is a clutch of recognised stars including Erling Haaland in the USA right now but the vast majority of Guardiola’s options are emerging prospects due to Euro 2024 and Copa America.

Their full squad contains: Kalvin Phillips, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Ederson, Maximo Perrone, Scott Carson, Oscar Bobb, Jacob Wright, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Jadel Katongo, Joel Ndala, Tom Galvez, Nico O’Reilly, Mahamadou Susoho, Justin Oboavwoduo, Luke Mbete, Jaden Heskey, Rico Lewis, Callum Doyle, James McAtee, Amar Fatah, Stephen Mfuni, Micah Hamilton, Lakyle Samuel, Ben Knight, Josh Wilson-Esbrand.

Pep Guardiola on facing Celtic

The Man City manager was asked what success looks like against the Bhoys and responded: “No injuries. That would be a big success we can have. We don’t come here for the four trophies, we come here to have no injuries, to step up where we are. 80 or 85 per cent of the team is from the young Academy players – the experience will be good.

“We get to play against of course, Celtic, in Scotland a top team. After that it’s Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea. These guys playing against these teams, it’s a good experience to see how they can compete. It’s massively important for all of us, for them.”

Watch all the goals from last time

A Matt O’Riley double had Celtic 2-0 up on DC United before half-time. A slick Mikey Johnston goal followed in the second half before James Forrest showed his sharpness too.

Here are all the highlights of the 4-0 victory.

Other Celtic team news

Cameron Carter-Vickers could get his first minutes of the Celtic pre-season. The USA defender was given extra time off after featuring at the Copa America but rejoined training late last week.

Daizen Maeda was not included in the match squad against DC United but was spotted in a club training video on Monday.

Maik Nawrocki is out injured with a calf problem sustained vs Ayr United.

Alistair Johnston won’t feature tonight or against Chelsea on Saturday having progressed further in the Copa America. He was given a break until the squad returns to Lennoxtown next week.

No outfield signings at Celtic so far this summer

Pre-season matches are usually a good opportunity for transfer window signings to make a positive first impression but no outfield positions have yet been strengthened.

That’s been a frustration for many fans.

Celtic are reported to be looking for a centre-back, left-back, winger, striker and midfielders, so hopes remain high for some movement.

Hopeful was the word used by Rodgers on transfers over the weekend, so make of that what you will.

Brendan Rodgers’ latest comments on Celtic transfers as new priority emerges

Celtic finally got the ball rolling on their summer transfer business by acquiring two new goalkeepers last week. Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo arrived to…

A Kasper Schmeichel debut?

The club have been promoting a lot of Kasper Schmeichel content over the last 24 hours after he joined up with the squad and took part in his first training session.

There’s a chance tonight comes too soon for him to feature but it can’t be too long until we see him in action.

How to watch tonight’s game

The easiest way for many Celtic supporters to tune in to tonight’s match is with a subscription to club streaming service Celtic TV.

That’s especially true in Scotland, the UK and Ireland with the fixture not being shown on television.

However, plenty of channels around the world are carrying coverage including ESPN2 in the USA and Paramount+ in Australia. A full list of global broadcasters can be found via LiveSoccerTV.

City+, the Man City streaming service, also have their own broadcast.

Potential Celtic team vs Man City

Pre-season line-ups are always difficult to predict as they are usually always based on fitness and we don’t have that information available.

Nonetheless, we’ve given our prediction of the starting eleven a bash with four potential changes from the weekend match against DC United.

Predicted starting XI: Sinisalo, Ralston, Welsh, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, O’Riley, Hatate, Kuhn, Palma, Kyogo.

Brendan Rodgers will have lots of substitutions throughout and perhaps even give us a look at more youth players such as Colby Donovan or Matthew Anderson.

Celtic team news and Predicted XI vs Man City with four changes, how to watch, kick-off time

The Celtic USA tour continues tonight with a match against English Premier League champions Manchester City at Kenan Stadium. The Bhoys eased to a 4-0…

Welcome

It’s another late night for Celtic fans as the Bhoys continue their swing around the United States.

Get the coffee on and get ready for a look at how the squad is shaping up with less than two weeks until the first competitive match of the new campaign against Kilmarnock.

It’s champions vs champions and there could be plenty of exciting, attacking football on offer.