Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that the Hoops Scottish contingent won’t be heading on international duty later this month.
Instead, those who are regularly part of Steve Clarke’s squad will be going to Australia as part of the team that will participate in the Sydney Super Cup.
In a week’s time, the Bhoys’ domestic campaign is due to shut down during November and December as members of the squad go off to the Qatar 2022 World Cup with their nations.
However, for the vast majority of players, they will instead be heading to Australia to take part in the Sydney Super Cup. Ange Postecoglou’s side will be facing off against Sydney FC and Everton as the Hoops boss returns to his homeland.
Although Scotland aren’t involved in this year’s World Cup, there was a chance that Celtic’s Scottish contingent could miss the trip down under as the Tartan Army prepare to take part in a friendly match of their own.
Steve Clarke looks set to announce his latest squad, which will be travelling to Turkey, playing the nation in a non-competitive outing on the 16th of November.
Players such as Greg Taylor, David Turnbull and Anthony Ralston have slowly become regulars in the national team squad. Whilst the return to form for James Forrest could lead to an international recall for the winger.
However, those call-ups won’t be coming this international break, as Ange Postecoglou confirmed that all his available players will be travelling to Australia next week.
The former Socceroos boss is keen to see as strong a squad as possible take part, barring the members that will be heading for the World Cup. So, he has ruled out the possibility of the Scottish stars going off with their nation.
He said [Daily Record]: “From our perspective, the Australian trip is an important part of our football club, and we want to take our strongest possible team there.
“We will always be supportive of the national team, and Steve Clarke has always been great with us in terms of his relationship with the club. But all of our players who won’t be going to the World Cup will be coming with us.
“We’re obviously taking a team to Australia. People have bought tickets and want to see the best possible Celtic side. Obviously, we can’t take the players who are going to the World Cup, but we have obligations there to the people who have spent the money that we go there with the strongest possible team, and that’s what we’ll be doing.”
Postecoglou keen to see his side put on a performance down under.
Although the games in Australia might just be friendly fixtures, it is clear to see that Ange Postecoglou is taking things seriously.
The Celtic manager is all set to return to his homeland after a long absence in recent years due to his coaching spells in Scotland and Japan.
His last managerial spell in his homeland came with the Australian national team, where he achieved success and became a popular figure.
The Aussie fans will be well aware of Ange’s credentials as a boss. However, the 57-year-old will be keen to put on a show with his Celtic side and exhibit how he has continued to develop in the dugout.
It should prove to be some interesting match-ups, with the Bhoys facing off and testing themselves against English Premier League opposition.
Postecoglou will have a strong squad to pick from, barring a few of the regular names. So, the Hoops should still be at their very best as we look to show the fans in Sydney the sort of team we are.
In other news, Mark Schwarzer delivers verdict on Aaron Mooy to Celtic and potential World Cup impact.
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