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Celtic confirm second fixture in Japan tour; date, opposition and venue
Celtic have confirmed that Ange Postecoglou and his team will take on Gamba Osaka in the second match of their Japan Tour in July. [Celtic FC]
The announcement confirms the rumour I brought to you on 67 Hail Hail yesterday morning that the news was already circulating in Japanese media.
Celtic will face Yokohama F Marinos on the 19th of July at the Nissan Stadium in the first fixture of the tour. And then, just three days later, Gamba Osaka await Ange Postecoglou’s men.
The game will take place on the 22nd of July at the Panasonic Stadium Suita in Osaka with a local kick-off time of 7pm (11am BST).
Gamba Osaka plays in the J League but is languishing at the bottom of the pile after just one win from 14 fixtures.
Celtic will also face Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer when they visit Hyeongyo Oh’s South Korea as part of a tour of the country. That game will take place on the 26th of July at the Suwon World Cup stadium.
The club are clearly intent on getting a foothold in Japan. They ran a successful soccer academy back in March where a ten-day tour took in the cities of Tokyo, Fukuoka and Hiroshima.
The academy sought to coach Japan’s stars of the future as the club look to take advantage of the ever-increasing popularity they have enjoyed in the region since Ange Postecoglou took over and recruited some of Japan’s top stars.
These matches are sure to draw in some decent crowds and offer the club huge exposure. Especially after the news that Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda have all been called up to Japan’s national squad for next month’s double header in the Kirn Cup.
It is not known if there will be further fixtures announced in Korea or Japan but we will bring that news to you if, and when, it happens.
In other news, Ange Postecoglou shields players as BBC reporter questions squad strength
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