It is certainly intriguing that Celtic have elected not to play a friendly this weekend, ahead of the Hoops’ upcoming Champions League tie against Nomme Kalju.
There can’t be a fixture next weekend as the Celtic FC Festival is taking place. Therefore, the only weekend free for a friendly before the start of the domestic season is this one. And Celtic have decided not to play a game.
New signings could have done with some playing time
That could be considered a mistake. It would have done the likes of Christopher Jullien in particular good to get some game time under his belt, before possibly featuring against Nomme Kalju.
That can’t really be replicated on the training pitch. Even a friendly will be far more competitive than those games.
The fact that Kalju are well into their domestic season also adds intrigue to Celtic’s decision. They will be far more settled as a team, compared to a Celtic side which has played only two competitive fixtures this season.
Perhaps play a game behind closed doors?
Perhaps the Hoops have organised a game behind closed doors, at Lennoxtown for example.
That could be a good move. It would give the players the chance to get another 90 minutes under their belts. However, as yet, there has been no word on such a game happening.
Neil Lennon and the staff at Celtic must be confident that the Hoops can progress in the Champions League without playing a pre-season friendly this weekend. Only time will tell if that is a mistake or not.
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