
Celtic announce friendly with Scottish Championship side to kick-start 2025-26 campaign
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CELTIC have a varied pre-season planned including trips to Ireland, Portugal and Italy.
But its just been announced that it will all gets started with a clash against Queen's Park just down the road at the City Stadium.
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Ruari Paton, now of Dundee Utd, was on target for Queen's Park
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
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Celtic's Matt O'Riley and Queen's Park's Jack Thomson battle for the ball
Credit: PA
The two Glasgow sides met at the venue which was once known as Lesser Hampden at a similar point last season, with the Hoops running out 6-4 winners courtesy of a Kyogo hat-trick.
And Brendan Rodgers and his men will be back there on the evening of Friday, July 5 to take on Sean Crighton and Jim Duffy's side as they attempt to build on last year's double triumph.
Celts are due to play Cork in Ireland on Tuesday July 8 before flying to Portugal for an eight-day preseason training camp, which includes a match against Sporting Lisbon in Faro.
They then return to Scotland to take on Newcastle at home in a glamour friendly on Saturday July 19.
But there's a two-week gap before the league season kicks off on August 2 - with Celts' Champions League play-off almost three weeks later.
And so they've decided to face Como and Ajax in a glamour summer tournament in Italy.
Queen's Park wrote on social media: "Queen's Park FC is delighted to welcome Celtic to The city Stadium this summer for another pre-season friendly.
"The sides met a year ago at our now permanent home, and fans were treated to a feast of goals at the ground.
"This year the Scottish champions will be back on the southside to do it all over again with kick-off scheduled for 7.45pm on Friday, July 4."
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