Celtic are six matches away from the Champions League group stage. The Scottish champions came through the first qualifying round with little difficulty. The club won 6-0 on aggregate against Armenia’s Alashkert. Celtic now have a far tougher task playing Norway’s Rosenborg in the second qualifying round.
The Norwegians didn’t have as easy a time as Celtic in the first qualifying round. Rosenborg lost 1-0 to Iceland’s Valur in the first leg but came back to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Whichever team can navigate the qualifying round will find a £40 million pot waiting for them in the group stage.
Rosenborg are in a state of turmoil at the moment. The club sacked manager Kare Ingebrigsten last week despite the club winning three straight Norwegian Eliteserien titles. Rosenborg’s players have criticised the club for firing the manager at this point in the season. Not only are Rosenborg in the Champions league second qualifying round, but they are second in the Eliteserien two points behind league leaders Brann. Ingrebrigsten was sacked less than 24 hours after Rosenborg’s win over Valur in the Champions league, now they must take on a strong Celtic side.
The Norwegian club is in such disarray, players released a statement asking for the coach to be reinstated. It fell on deaf ears. Celtic will still be given a game by Rosenborg on Wednesday, but the Hoops may not receive the resistance they originally expected.
Celtic will be without centre-back Jozo Simunovic. The defender will sit out the fixture due to a red card suspension. Forward Moussa Dembele is still recovering from injury ahead of the first leg. His partnership with Odsonne Edouard was impressive in the club’s tie against Alashkert. Dembele’s pace will be difficult for Rosenborg to handle. If he isn’t available for the fixture, Celtic could deploy Scott Sinclair in his place. However, Brendan Rodgers decision to use a 3-5-2 formation has led to Sinclair being used more off the bench. Celtic will definitely be without forward Lewis Morgan. The player underwent knee surgery a week ago and will miss around five weeks of football.
The Scottish Premiership will not kick off until August 4, but Celtic’s players now have match fitness. The first round qualifying tie against Alashkert eased them into the season. The addition of friendlies has given Rodgers’ players sharpness in the early part of the season. While Rosenborg are in a crisis due to sacking their manager, Celtic are hitting early season form.
Celtic will get a slim victory in the first leg and set themselves up for progression to the third qualifying round.