Overview
- The match kicks off at 3pm BST on Saturday 29 August at Celtic Park and will not be shown live on TV in the UK because of the Saturday 3pm broadcast blackout.
- Celtic captain Callum McGregor missed Friday's main training with a stomach bug and is a day‑of‑match doubt, with manager Martin O’Neill hopeful he can recover for kick‑off.
- Right‑back Alistair Johnston is confirmed out until October with a severe hamstring injury and Portuguese winger Jota remains unavailable as he continues long rehabilitation from an ACL injury.
- Falkirk travel to Glasgow with a depleted squad reportedly missing seven first‑team players, they have one point from two league games and have yet to score a Scottish Premiership goal this season.
- Celtic have started the domestic season with wins in the league and League Cup but the 5–1 midweek defeat to LASK damaged their Champions League path and increases scrutiny on squad depth for today’s game.