Latest news with #SlovanBratislava
Irish Daily Mirror
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Idah admits disappointment at Cork match - but confidence levels are soaring
Hitting the net in the Champions League gave Ireland's Adam Idah's confidence levels a turbo charge – and the Celtic striker is determined to get plugged in again. The Hoops frontman ticked off one of his big bucket-list targets by notching for the Parkhead men at the very highest level last term. Idah bagged a goal on his Champions League debut in the five-goal stuffing of Slovan Bratislava and also pounced with a lethal double in the six-goal thriller against Aston Villa. The 24-year-old has admitted he's a confidence player. Idah said: 'Yeah 100 per cent. I've said it plenty of times, for me confidence is a big thing. Obviously to score in the Champions League, one of the biggest competitions in the world, is amazing for me. "To do that in my first season playing in the Champions League was fantastic. 'You can learn a lot from it. You're playing against the best players in the world, and to score goals in that competition is a fantastic feeling. It did really help.' It wasn't just Idah who relished being on the big stage last season. Celtic lapped it up and held their own to progress beyond the group stage in the new-look format before giving everything over two legs against Bayern Munich in the knockout stages. It was almost cruel that the reward was to get bumped out of an automatic place in this year's competition. While England has about 14 teams gaining direct entry, the Scottish champions will need to go through the physical and emotional turmoil of a play-off. Who they might face is a mystery right now, but there could be hurdles such as Austrians Sturm Graz, Swiss champs Basel and old chums Slovan Bratislava. There are other danger clubs lurking too, like Croatians Rijeka and former foes such as Malmo and Bodo/Glimt. Regardless of the draw Idah understands the magnitude of the clash. It's a cup final barely a fortnight into the new season. The Corkman said: 'It's going to be a really big game. The Champions League is a massive tournament for us, one of the biggest in the world, and every single player wants to play in it. 'It's a huge game for us, and we want to do the best we can to get back into the Champions League and have another good year.' Idah reckons competing in Europe has helped him kick-on under Brendan Rodgers. The Hoops boss has been a big support to the striker. Sometimes it's been giving his confidence a boost with a pat on the back, other times it's been a well-timed boot up the backside. Like in Portugal last week when the gaffer gave him a roasting from the sidelines after missing a couple of sitters against Sporting. Idah takes it on board rather than to heart – knowing the boss will get the best out of him. He said: 'That was one of the reasons why I joined Celtic in the first place. I have lots of trust in the manager. I think he's got a lot of trust in me, and we've come up with a plan together when I first signed, and it's about taking each step as it comes now. 'Next season's obviously going to be a big season for me. I'm looking forward to it.' Idah insists there is more to come and he's hoping being the main man with the Celts can come with some fringe benefits. While the Hoops are hitting Europe, the Republic of Ireland are dreaming of reaching the World Cup Finals for the first time in 24 years. Ireland are up against Portugal, Hungary and Armenia in the qualifiers and Idah wants to be in top form for his club to take into national duty. He said: 'This year is going to be really important with the World Cup next year, and you need to be playing at club level if you want to play in these competitions, so it's a big year for me. 'It's a tournament that everyone wants to play in, and for us as a country, it's going to be massive. We're all looking forward to it. We're all pushing to try and qualify. So yeah, this season at club level will be really important for me.' Idah is determined to hit the ground running after doing the hard yards in pre-season, with the Hoops landing in Italy for the next step of their preparations with clashes against Ajax on Thursday and then either Serie Como or Saudi side Al-Ahli at the weekend. Celtic are flying after wins against Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle – following a trip to Idah's Cork. He said: 'It was lovely going back. it was a bit disappointing that I couldn't play, but it was really nice being back home, seeing everyone and the support we had was amazing. 'I never once thought that would happen. Pre-season has been really good. Everyone's looking fresh and training's been going well. We had a tough week training in Portugal, so it was good to get back out on the pitch.'
Daily Record
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Adam Idah insists he's a different Celtic animal for breaking Euro duck as Hoops fans promised there's more to come
Dinding the net against the very best was just what Idah needed to prove he can cut it among the big boys Hitting the net in the Champions League gave Adam Idah's confidence levels a turbo charge – and the Celtic striker is determined to get plugged in again. The Hoops frontman ticked off one of his big bucket-list targets by notching for the Parkhead men at the very highest level last term. Idah bagged a goal on his Champions League debut in the five-goal stuffing of Slovan Bratislava and also pounced with a lethal double in the six-goal thriller against Aston Villa. The 24-year-old has admitted he's a confidence player. Most strikers are, in fairness, but when Idah has the good vibes flowing, goals usually follow. And finding the net against the very best was just what he needed to prove he can cut it among the big boys. Idah said: 'Yeah 100 per cent. I've said it plenty of times, for me confidence is a big thing. Obviously to score in the Champions League, one of the biggest competitions in the world, is amazing for me. "To do that in my first season playing in the Champions League was fantastic. 'You can learn a lot from it. You're playing against the best players in the world, and to score goals in that competition is a fantastic feeling. It did really help.' It wasn't just Idah who relished being on the big stage last season. Celtic lapped it up and held their own to progress beyond the group stage in the new-look format before giving everything over two legs against Bayern Munich in the knockout stages. It was almost cruel that the reward was to get bumped out of an automatic place in this year's competition. While England has about 14 teams gaining direct entry, the Scottish champions will need to go through the physical and emotional turmoil of a play-off. Who they might face is a mystery right now, but there could be hurdles such as Austrians Sturm Graz, Swiss champs Basel and old chums Slovan Bratislava. There are other danger clubs lurking too, like Croatians Rijeka and former foes such as Malmo and Bodo/Glimt. Regardless of the draw Idah understands the magnitude of the clash. It's a cup final barely a fortnight into the new season. The Ireland star said: 'It's going to be a really big game. The Champions League is a massive tournament for us, one of the biggest in the world, and every single player wants to play in it. 'It's a huge game for us, and we want to do the best we can to get back into the Champions League and have another good year.' Idah reckons competing in Europe has helped him kick-on under Brendan Rodgers. The Hoops boss has been a big support to the striker. Sometimes it's been giving his confidence a boost with a pat on the back, other times it's been a well-timed boot up the backside. Like in Portugal last week when the gaffer gave him a roasting from the sidelines after missing a couple of sitters against Sporting. Idah takes it on board rather than to heart – knowing the boss will get the best out of him. He said: 'That was one of the reasons why I joined Celtic in the first place. I have lots of trust in the manager. I think he's got a lot of trust in me, and we've come up with a plan together when I first signed, and it's about taking each step as it comes now. 'Next season's obviously going to be a big season for me. I'm looking forward to it.' Idah insists there is more to come and he's hoping being the main man with Celts can come with some fringe benefits. While the Hoops are hitting Europe, the Republic of Ireland are dreaming of reaching the World Cup Finals for the first time in 24 years. The Irish are up against Portugal, Hungary and Armenia in the qualifiers and Idah wants to be in top form for his club to take into national duty. He said: 'This year is going to be really important with the World Cup next year, and you need to be playing at club level if you want to play in these competitions, so it's a big year for me. 'It's a tournament that everyone wants to play in, and for us as a country, it's going to be massive. We're all looking forward to it. We're all pushing to try and qualify. So yeah, this season at club level will be really important for me.' Idah is determined to hit the ground running after doing the hard yards in pre-season, with the Hoops landing in Italy for the next step of their preparations with clashes against Ajax on Thursday and then either Serie Como or Saudi side Al-Ahli at the weekend. Celts are flying after wins against Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle – following a trip to Idah's hometown in Cork. He said: 'It was lovely going back. it was a bit disappointing that I couldn't play, but it was really nice being back home, seeing everyone and the support we had was amazing. 'I never once thought that would happen. Pre-season has been really good. Everyone's looking fresh and training's been going well. We had a tough week training in Portugal, so it was good to get back out on the pitch.'
Scotsman
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Midtjylland suffer big injury blow ahead of Hibs clash as boss sends message to club
There's an issue in a key area of the park for FC Midtjylland as Hibs prepare for Europa League battle Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... FC Midtjylland have suffered a major injury blow ahead of their Europa League clash with Hibs - as their head coach sends a clear continental message. The Danes will play hosts next week in the first leg of the second qualifying round, before action at Easter Road a week later. Hibs will face Bolton Wanderers this weekend as they continue to ramp up for the game while Midtjylland's Superliga campaign starts versus Odense this weekend. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ahead of that, they have confirmed key central defender Ousmane Diao has suffered a foot injury that rules him out of both legs. The Senegalese star played 42 times last campaign and scored an impressive seven goals with two assists from the back, but won't be kitted out to take on Hibs. FC Midtjylland injury blow ahead of Hibs A statement reads: 'Ousmane Diao has suffered an injury during training on his holiday in his home country, and examinations have subsequently shown that it is a fracture in the foot, which has required surgery, which has gone according to plan. 'The injury means Diao has not yet been in action in pre-season and will miss the first few months of the new season. He is expected to be ready after the international break in September. We wish Diao a good rehabilitation and we look forward to seeing him back on the field.' Meanwhile, head coach Thomas Thomasberg has fired a message to Hibs that his side are preparing for matches in Europe beyond the summer after impressive pre season performances against Slovan Bratislava and Dynamo Kyiv. He said: 'We had some good training sessions and also two matches that resulted in two wins against Dynamo Kyiv and Slovan Bratislava. We actually think that many of the things we had trained and talked about were also carried out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What FC Midtjylland have said about Hibs clash "When you spend so many hours together on a trip (to Austria) like this, you also get shaken up even more – and that applies to both us in the coaching staff, but also the playing squad. So in every way, I think it was a great trip, which we ended with a good victory in Bratislava. We really want to play these two games a week, because the European midweek games are just great matches where we get the opportunity to be matched against teams from other countries. 'It is our clear goal that this is something that will continue for the rest of the autumn. I think we are in a good place to be able to handle that game schedule, but I think we will only really get the answer when the tournaments have started. You have to know that every point counts, we've seen that for ourselves the last two years. 'We crossed the finish line the first full season I was here, and last year we were one or two points short of it. So every time we go out on the field – including next Sunday – it has an impact on the overall result. When you've experienced the difference in emotions, depending on whether you end up with gold or silver, it definitely does something to my own hunger, and I also have the feeling that the players feel the same way. That it's even greater in relation to the fact that we're the ones who are going to win gold again."
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Former Celtic target Strelec focused on Slovan Bratislava
David Strelec says he is only concentrating on playing for Slovan Bratislava for the new season and is over the disappointment of a January move to Celtic collapsing after the Slovakian club slapped a £9m price tag on the 24-year-old striker. (Herald - subscription required), externalDunfermline Athletic are close to signing freed Celtic centre-half Alasdair Davidson, 19. (The Courier - subscription required), externalComo have 18-year-old Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller on their transfer wish list in addition to their £17m move for Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn. (Sun), externalRead Friday's Scottish gossip
Scottish Sun
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘I'm glad I stayed' – Celtic target opens up on transfer collapse after £7m Hoops bid
LONG-TERM Celtic target David Strelec insists he has finally got over the collapse of his move to the Scottish champions. And the Slovan Bratislava striker insists he would have no complaints if he remained in Slovakia. 2 David Strelec was a target for the Hoops in January Credit: Getty 2 He played against Celtic last season Credit: Kenny Ramsay Strelec was unhappy last season when his January move to Celtic fell through after Slovan Bratislava slapped a £9million price tag on him. He even refused to play after the window had ended before resolving his dispute with the club and helping Slovan win another title by scoring 20 goals. But he has stressed he is only concentrating on playing for Slovan Bratislava for the new season. He said: "I thought about the failed transfer for a while, I admit, about two weeks, then I got myself together. "As it turned out, I got injured anyway after it. "But in the end, everything turned out well and I'm glad I stayed. "It was my best season so far. It started with the European Championships, after which I joined Slovan after a short break. I didn't even have a long break, which actually helped me. "I did really well for both Slovan and the national team. "We have achieved great success in recent years. "I definitely feel the expectations have risen here. "I think people are now expecting at least the Europa League group stages, but it's not that easy. But nothing is impossible. "But of course our aim is to play in the Champions League again." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
