Celtic will unfurl the Scottish Premiership flag this Sunday at Parkhead against St Mirren as the 2025/26 kicks off.
The Scottish champions enjoyed a fairly decent preseason as they posted five victories from seven matches, defeating Queen's Park, Cork City, Sporting Lisbon, Newcastle United and Al Ahli, as well as sustaining losses to Estrela and Ajax, respectively.
Brendan Rodgers' men even added some silverware to the cabinet in the process as they captured the inaugural versions of the Cork Cup and adidas Trophy. The warm-up is finally over, and it all starts for real again this weekend.
Whilst those of a Celtic persuasion have been less than enamoured with the lack of activity regarding incoming transfers, there have been enough positives for Rodgers to mull and chew over before naming his starting XI to face Steve Robinson's Paisley outfit.
The return of Kieran Tierney after six years at Arsenal has given the squad a massive lift, and his assist for Liam Scales' goal in the 4-0 win over EPL side Newcastle was as if he had never been away.
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The performances of 22-year-old Dane Murray were encouraging and heartening as the centre-back looks like he will challenge those around him to nail down a regular first-team spot.
Auston Trusty also showed up well with the American staking his early claim to be regarded as Cameron Carter-Vickers' undisputed defensive partner moving forward.
The surprise package of them all has been Japanese left-back Hayato Inamura, who has displayed a keen eye for a pass as well as possessing a good football brain.
Summer signing Benjamin Nygren has hit the ground running, and the Swede has left everybody in no doubt as to why Rodgers signed him. Even this early, Nygren looks like a class act, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in the cut and thrust of Scottish football.
Up front, Japanese striker Shin Yamada, who blasted home the winning penalty to secure third spot in the Como Cup, looked lively, and his early impact has certainly put him into contention to start against the Saints.
Will Yamada now get the nod to lead the line against the Buddies at the expense of Irish duo Adam Idah and Johnny Kenny, who both failed to cover themselves in glory during the preseason games?
The lack of signings remains the dark cloud hanging over the club presently, and the Celtic hordes are also seeking more clarity over the manager's future as the countdown on Rodgers' final year at the helm continues in earnest.
All of these topics were discussed by John and Tony on Wednesday's edition of The Celtic Way's morning briefing for July 30.
You can catch up with the show by pressing PLAY on the video player below this article, or by clicking this link.
