Cesc Fabregas on Celtic Park memories ahead of Como Cup
A previous experience with Arsenal had been more successful - running out 2-0 winners - and he would go on to score a winner for Barca in a later tie.
The Spaniard loved the experience of running out at Parkhead on a Champions League night and says he continued to follow the fortunes of the Scottish giants.
Ahead of potentially facing Brendan Rodgers' side in the Como Cup, he recalled: 'It was incredible to play at [[Celtic]] Park.
'It will be nice because they have quality players. They won the league by far this year and they play in Europe.
Read more:
"If we do play against them, it will be a big test.'
Fabregas has been paying enough attention to [[Celtic]] to sign two of their players, £17m winger Nicolas Kuhn and former loanee Alex Valle.
He explained how scouting them was a bit of a challenge but Celtic were usually winning comfortably in the games they played.
'I watched more individual clips of them, not so much collectively. But it's a very interesting team,' said Fabregas. 'The problem is that analysing these teams is a bit difficult because they are normally so superior every week in their league.
"But doing it in Europe, that's where you see the real value and level. They are a very well organised and competent team. I spoke with Nick (Kuhn) about them and he was really happy there, he always speaks very well of them.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
12 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Marcus Rashford makes Barcelona debut during friendly win in Japan
Marcus Rashford made his first appearance for Barcelona in a 3-1 friendly win against Vissel Kobe in Japan. The 27-year-old, who has joined the Catalan club from Manchester United on a season-long loan, was introduced at half-time before being withdrawn after 78 minutes. Rashford had an effort saved during his first outing for Hansi Flick's side, who took the win courtesy of goals from Eric Garcia, Roony Bardghji and academy star Pedro Fernandez. New guy looked sharp out there — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 27, 2025 Bardghji, another summer arrival from Copenhagen, put Barcelona back in front after Taisei Miyashiro had levelled for the hosts. Spain star Lamine Yamal, 18, was presented with Barcelona's famous number 10 shirt – previously worn by the likes of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi – before kick-off. Flick, quoted on Barcelona's website, explained why Rashford only played for 33 minutes, saying: 'He's a week behind the others. He hasn't been training as much with the ball, and we want to look after him.' Rashford, in a Barca video shown by Sky Sports News, said: 'Good performance, good to play in front of the fans, good (for) fitness. So I'm looking forward to the next games. Marcus Rashford reacts to making his first appearance for Barcelona in their pre-season win over Vissel Kobe in Japan 💪 {Credit: Barcelona} — Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 27, 2025 'Pleased that we could win the game today but of course the most important thing is just settling in and, for the team, getting the patterns in and playing good football and I thought we did that in both halves. 'It's difficult in games like that where you change the team at half-time, but I thought we did well.' He added: 'The reason I'm here is to help the team try to win. So I'm going to listen to whatever information I need to listen to and try to put it into the game and help the team go forward. 'I can play over different positions. It's one of my strengths, to play across the front line. I'll play where the team needs me and try to score goals and create goals from those positions.'
South Wales Argus
12 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Marcus Rashford makes Barcelona debut during friendly win in Japan
The 27-year-old, who has joined the Catalan club from Manchester United on a season-long loan, was introduced at half-time before being withdrawn after 78 minutes. Rashford had an effort saved during his first outing for Hansi Flick's side, who took the win courtesy of goals from Eric Garcia, Roony Bardghji and academy star Pedro Fernandez. New guy looked sharp out there — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 27, 2025 Bardghji, another summer arrival from Copenhagen, put Barcelona back in front after Taisei Miyashiro had levelled for the hosts. Spain star Lamine Yamal, 18, was presented with Barcelona's famous number 10 shirt – previously worn by the likes of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi – before kick-off. Flick, quoted on Barcelona's website, explained why Rashford only played for 33 minutes, saying: 'He's a week behind the others. He hasn't been training as much with the ball, and we want to look after him.' Rashford, in a Barca video shown by Sky Sports News, said: 'Good performance, good to play in front of the fans, good (for) fitness. So I'm looking forward to the next games. Marcus Rashford reacts to making his first appearance for Barcelona in their pre-season win over Vissel Kobe in Japan 💪 {Credit: Barcelona} — Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 27, 2025 'Pleased that we could win the game today but of course the most important thing is just settling in and, for the team, getting the patterns in and playing good football and I thought we did that in both halves. 'It's difficult in games like that where you change the team at half-time, but I thought we did well.' He added: 'The reason I'm here is to help the team try to win. So I'm going to listen to whatever information I need to listen to and try to put it into the game and help the team go forward. 'I can play over different positions. It's one of my strengths, to play across the front line. I'll play where the team needs me and try to score goals and create goals from those positions.'
Daily Mirror
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
England win Euro 2025 despite new penalty rule that could have cost Lionesses everything
Beth Mead was forced to retake her opening penalty in the Euro 2025 final against Spain after slipping and kicking the ball twice - and was then denied from the spot. The incident was similar to the one involving Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez in the Champions League earlier this season: his goal was ruled out, though a new rule has since been implemented to allow 'double touch' kicks to be retaken rather than instantly being ruled out. The IFAB amended the rules with article 14.1 of the laws of the game which reads: 'The kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player. The penalty kick is completed when the ball stops moving, goes out of play or the referee stops play for any offence.' That meant Mead was given the chance to retake her penalty. She was then thwarted from the spot the second time around by Cata Coll. But Hannah Hampton saved two penalties in a row to help England clinch a stunning 3-1 victory on penalties. Chloe Kelly, so often the England hero during this tournament and ultimate matchwinner three years ago, stepped up to plunder the winning penalty to help the Lionesses make history by retaining their European crown. Her winning penalty sparked jubilant scenes on the pitch and in the stands in Switzerland, capping another remarkable comeback from England. The result means the Lionesses have extracted a measure of revenge on Spain, who beat them in the 2023 World Cup final.
