Scottish giants Celtic test their mettle against Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday afternoon.
The Hoops celebrated winning the Scottish domestic treble last season, while their West Midlands counterparts managed to avoid relegation from the English top flight before securing a 13th-placed finish.
Celtic’s three-game unbeaten run in pre-season was brought to an end in eventful fashion just over a week ago when they lost 6-4 away against Japanese outfit Yokohama F Marinos.
However, the Hoops concluded their tour of Asia on a high when they secured a slender 1-0 victory over Gamba Osaka last weekend, with left-back Alexandro Bernabei netting the only goal of the game five minutes from time.
Brendan Rodgers was pleased that his side kept a clean sheet three days after conceding six goals, and the Celtic boss was encouraged by the “heart” shown from his players to grind out the hard-fought victory.
Celtic’s upcoming clash with Wolves was initially scheduled to take place in South Korea before the Premier League side pulled out of their tour of Asia, but the rearranged fixture in Dublin provides an opportunity for the Hoops to cross the Irish Sea and celebrate their Irish roots with the locals.
The Glaswegian giants have previously visited Republic of Ireland’s national stadium three times in 2011, 2013 and 2016 to face the likes of Inter Milan, Liverpool and Barcelona. Their most recent visit was against the latter with Rodgers at the helm during his first spell in charge, but the La Liga side picked up a 3-1 win in the International Champions’ Cup.
Saturday’s contest with Wolves will be followed by James Forrest’s testimonial against Athletic Bilbao at Parkhead, before they begin the defence of their Scottish Premiership title at home against Ross County on August 5.
Preparing for their sixth successive year in the Premier League, Wolves kick-started their pre-season with three behind-closed-doors victories in which each fixture increased in duration and intensity.
After beating Vitoria 2-1 and Farense 1-0 in Portugal, Julen Lopetegui’s side played two hour-long matches against Blackpool at Compton Park, with a 2-0 success in the first game followed by a 4-0 loss.
Wolves then headed back to Portugal and returned to winning ways on Tuesday when they secured a narrow 1-0 victory over last season’s Primeira Liga runners-up Porto, with Pedro Neto scoring the only goal of the contest.
The West Midlands side are now gearing up for their first trip to Ireland since 2014 when they beat both Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians in warm-up fixtures. Wolves’ only previous meeting with Celtic, meanwhile, was in July 2011 when they secured a 2-0 friendly win in Glasgow.
After taking on the Hoops in Dublin, Lopetegui’s men will return to Molineux for games against Luton Town and Rennes before beginning the new Premier League season away against Manchester United on August 14.
Celtic have welcomed a trio of summer signings to the club this week, with South Korean duo Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu joining on Monday before Legia Warsaw defender Maik Nawrocki was unveiled on Wednesday; all three players could be available for selection on Saturday.
Rodgers fielded a separate lineup for each half against Gamba Osaka and the Hoops boss is expected to make full use of his squad again versus Wolves, with a mixture of first-team and academy stars set to gain minutes.
Daizen Maeda scored a hat-trick in the 6-4 loss to Yokohama and the Japanese attacker is in contention to play alongside last season’s top scorer and Player of the Year Kyogo Furuhashi, while Carl Starfelt, who has been linked with Spartak Moscow, could start at centre-back.
Celtic are having to cope without right-back Alistair Johnston, who is sidelined for at least two months after undergoing ankle surgery, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Anthony Ralston, Albian Ajeti and Mikey Johnston are also in the treatment room.
As for Wolves, Lopetegui has been left “disappointed” with the club’s transfer business so far this summer, but they have recruited Matheus Cunha and Boubacar Traore on permanent deals following loan spells last season, while goalkeeper Tom King and right-back Matt Doherty have joined on free transfers.
Indeed, Doherty re-joined the club last week after three years away, and after making his first appearance under Lopetegui in the win over Porto, the Republic of Ireland international will be pushing to start in his homeland on Saturday.
Sasa Kalajdzic endured a frustrating injury-hit debut season with Wolves in 2022-23, sustaining an ACL injury on his Premier League debut in September last year, but the 6ft 7in striker is currently attempting to build up his fitness and will battle with Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan and Fabio Silva for a start in attack; Raul Jimenez, meanwhile, has ended his five-year association with the club by joining Fulham.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Iwata, Welsh, Starfelt, Taylor; Hatate, McGregor, Turnbull; Abada, Furuhashi, Maeda
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Doherty, Dawson, Kilman, Bueno; Lemina, Hodge, Nunes; Sarabia, Cunha, Neto
