Key occasions
17 min: Simply checking and uefa.com have formally given the aim to Hatate after 11 minutes. Dreadful replace from me earlier as I’d given it as an personal aim after 10. The correction has been made.
15 min: Shakhtar should be bemused by what’s occurring right here. They’ve simply confronted fixed stress and never obtained a foothold within the sport in any respect. And it almost will get worse as Kyogo virtually prices down the goalkeeper to bundle in a second! That was about 5 instances extra informal than the Hart one on the different finish! Dangerous from Shakhtar stopper Trubin!
12 min: Totally deserved from Celtic. Now will they press for a second?
GOAL! Shakhtar 0-1 Celtic (Hatate 11)
It’s been coming! Haksabanovic performs the ball out to the left which Hatate collects. He drives in direction of aim, slips the ball previous the goalkeeper and it comes off a defender. Kyogo may have tapped it in himself however, maybe properly, lefts it run over the road to keep away from any offside flag.
8 min: A bit informal there from Joe Hart as he will get in all probability his first contact of the sport, letting the ball run into his six-yard field earlier than casually passing out as a ahead closes in. A kind of ones that Ederson does in his sleep however Mendy makes a hash of.
7 min: Celtic are holding Shakhtar pressed in their very own half. The hosts lastly get an opportunity to launch a counter but it surely’s rushed and involves nothing.
5 min: Taylor’s cross-shot took just a little nick and went for a nook however Celtic couldn’t make something from it. They’re very a lot on the entrance foot although.
4 min: Taylor flashes a left-foot ball throughout the six yard field however Kyogo can’t fairly attain it. Quick begin from Celtic right here.
3 min: Celtic knocking the ball round now. That is in all probability how the match will play out; plenty of Celtic possession and Shakhtar making an attempt to hit on the break.
1 min: Early probability for Kyogo! Celtic pinch possession, O’Riley performs within the Japanese frontman and the goalkeeper saves his right-foot shot along with his left boot. Nearly a dream begin!
Kick-off: Peep!!! Let’s play. Shakhtar get us in play in entrance of a removed from full however nonetheless noisy stadium. A lot of that din is coming from the Celtic finish.
The groups are sporting black armbands however there isn’t any minute’s silence right here tonight.
The groups are out! Celtic in inexperienced and white hoops (no mucking away with away kits right here) and Shakhtar in thick black and orange vertical stripes.
Formally, 2,000 Celtic supporters have travelled to Warsaw. They’ll be hoping to see their group win an away Champions League sport for the primary time since 2017.
A pleasant lunge from Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart though a tad performative. Doing a Dan Wootton presumably.
Tom Hopkins emails: “Thanks for the Shed Seven jolt of nostalgia, my first gig, Wolverhampton Civic, nice days! Additionally, apologies for not responding extra rapidly. Missed your put up – I used to be on the Rick Witter.” Ah, you employ that one too.
Right here’s Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou. First up, he explains the group information and the begins for Kyogo and Haksabanovic
“We’ve educated and each these gamers have educated nicely. Simply pondering the best way the sport’s going to go tonight I believe it would swimsuit having them two up entrance and, yeah, they begin.
“From our perspective it’s about making an attempt to capitalise on the areas we wish to. With the arrange we have now we’re hoping to dominate the sport as we often do and put some stress on them. We all know that generally the sport can go a distinct means and we’ve simply obtained to be prepared for no matter problem is on the market.”
Shakhtar’s Marian Shved can’t be a fan of Britpop in any other case he’d certainly have insisted on the No.7 shirt. He wears 9 so will, erm, be “Going for Objective(d)”. He has some extent to show tonight after by no means actually being given an opportunity (made simply three appearances) throughout his temporary time at Celtic a few years in the past.
The BT protection has began and we see Celtic followers having a wander round Warsaw. Appears a nice night. This will likely be acquainted territory to a few of these travelling followers as Celtic performed Legia Warsaw at this very stadium in a pre-season testimonial for goalkeeper Artur Boruc (now 42) in July. End result: 2-2.
With the match being performed in Poland, Shakhtar have needed to relinquish dwelling benefit and that explains the chances.
Celtic are round 5/4 favourites to win, with Shakhtar 2/1 and the Draw 5/2.
There should have been some good puns doing the rounds when these two final met as Massimo Donati did for Donetsk with a last-gasp winner within the group section. Gordon Strachan was the Celtic boss in that 2-1 dwelling victory 15 years in the past. Shakhtar had gained the house showdown 2-0.
That’s two adjustments for Celtic from the facet that misplaced to Actual Madrid. Kyogo Furuhashi replaces Giorgos Giakoumakis up entrance whereas new summer season signing Sead Haksabanovic is available in for Liel Abada.
Shakhtar, as you may need anticipated with no new contemporary accidents, follow the identical facet that beat Leipzig 4-1.
Crew information
Shakhtar: Trubin, Bondar, Stepanenko, Sudakov, Shved, Mudryk, Zubkov, Bondarenko, Matviyenko, Taylor, Konoplia
Subs: Shevchenko, Pyatov, Traore, Krytsov, Sikan, Mykhaylichenko, Kryskiv, Djurasek, Topalov, Ocheretko, Kozik, Petriak
Celtic: Hart, Taylor, Jenz, Kyogo, Haksabanovic, Jota, Carter-Vickers, O’Riley, Hatate, McGregor, Juranovic
Subs: Bain, Siegrist, Giakoumakis, Abada, Mooy, Turnbull, Bernabei, Abildgaard, Maeda, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh
Preamble
Celtic followers dared to dream of their Champions League opener at dwelling to holders Actual Madrid final week. At 0-0, skipper Callum McGregor smashed the within of the Madrid put up and there have been different possibilities too.
The eventual 3-0 scoreline was harsh however maybe an essential reminder of what they’re up in opposition to at this degree. Switching off for 10 or quarter-hour can show deadly.
After the cauldron of noise at Celtic Park, their second Group F outing is available in very totally different circumstances as they journey to Warsaw to face Shakhtar Donetsk. Because of the ongoing Russian army invasion, Shakhtar are enjoying their ‘dwelling’ Champions League video games in Poland.
Surprisingly, given the misery, disruption and lack of key gamers from their squad, Shakhtar started the group with a 4-1 away win at RB Leipzig. It flattered them however that end result heaps additional stress on Celtic. This can be a sport the Bhoys can not actually afford to lose in the event that they’re to go dwelling with real hope of reaching the knockout section.
Kick off on the Stadion Wojska Polskiego is 5.45pm BST.
