Celtic take on Besiktas at home this Thursday night on matchday four of the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.
And after a disappointing start to the campaign, with three consecutive defeats, the Hoops are aiming to get the first points on the board with a win over the Turkish side.
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That won’t be easy, given that Besiktas are currently eighth in the UEL league table, with two wins and a draw under their belts, but Martin O’Neill’s side are hoping home advantage will help deliver the right result.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow night’s game, Liam Scales said: “It’s obviously a big tie for us, but we know we have enough games left to qualify so we just need to start putting points on the board and we need that to start tomorrow.
“We haven’t been meeting the standards of the club and what we’ve set in the last few years, so we know it’s important for us to get the club back where it should be.
“It’s always been the same here, you need to win every week and we haven’t been doing that. We understand that that’s not good enough and we know how important it is to get on a run of form and build some momentum. Hopefully we can do that.”
Celtic are looking to get back to winning ways following last weekend’s defeat away to Falkirk, and with two consecutive home games on the horizon – Thursday night’s clash with Besiktas followed by a Premiership match against Kilmarnock on Sunday – the aim is to get two wins going into the latest international break.
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“The fans are frustrated and we get that, we understand that and agree with them,” Scales said.
“They have a right to be frustrated with how results have been – it’s just been stop-start – so two wins at home in in four days would be amazing for us and it would really lift the mood going into that international window.
“Then we know we have a really busy period over the winter, and to come back in good spirits will be good for us and it would help us kick on in through the winter.
“We’re obviously not happy with dropping points in the last couple of domestic games and we wish we were further ahead, but we are still top of the league and that’s where we want to be.
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“In Europe it’s been difficult and it’s different to last season, but I can also see the similarities there.”
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Celtic Vs. Besiktas – Thu, Nov 11th 2026, 20:00 Buy Tickets | Buy Hospitality
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
