Liam Scales: We aim to make it right tomorrow | OneFootball

Celtic are back on midweek duty of the European variety tomorrow night (Thursday) when they take on Sturm Graz in the third league phase game of the UEFA Europa League campaign.

The game comes hot on the heels of the weekend trip to Tayside where the Hoops fell to a 2-0 defeat to Dundee.

However, the mindset of Liam Scales and the rest of the squad has turned to the needs of tomorrow night and the game against the Austrian league leaders.

The Irishman said of the weekend: “There was disappointment there after the game, but that has gone now because we need to focus on the game tomorrow. There was disappointment obviously because we don’t want to lose games, we know what is expected of us, but we’re fully focused on tomorrow now.

“So that’s gone, it was a normal training day today and we just hope to put things right tomorrow.”

Putting that right will require goals, something that hasn’t been as fruitful as usual for the Celts, but Scales is also aiming to strengthen the defensive side of the game as well.

He said: “Obviously we’re having issues, we’re not scoring as many goals as we’d like, and in the last couple of games we’ve conceded too many goals.

“I don’t think there’s a confidence issue. I think it’s just been tough, we’ve had chances that we might have missed and we just haven’t clicked.

“There could be a lot of reasons for that and we’re just really working on getting that right.

“I think everyone just needs to buy into the system that we want to play and get back to basics in that sense of running more than the opposition, and being more clinical, faster and more decisive – at both ends of the pitch as well.

“We’ve conceded a few goals now in the last couple of games that we’re not happy with. So it’s both ends of the pitch, just being more decisive and really doing the basics better.

“And I think outworking the opposition is massive for us and bringing massive intensity to our game.

“I think that’s dropped a little and it’s hard to put a finger on why, but we just know that’s why we need to be able to improve.”

It’s a pivotal game amid a succession of such matches for the Hoops, and Scales is looking forward to turning things around.

He said “It’s massive, every game is big for us, but, we want to get our first win in the competition obviously, and we have a good chance to do that tomorrow. We just really need to show up and play well.”

The one thing Celtic can’t do is make things easy for the opposition, something that skipper, Callum McGregor levelled at the performance on at Dens Park, and which the Irish defender agrees with.

Scales added: “Based on the game on Sunday, we probably made it too easy for Dundee. I think we played into their hands.

“They set up to be defensive, to be solid, and they won the game basically from counter-attacks and a set piece.

“That’s how they would’ve liked the game to play out, and it did. And we didn’t do enough to disrupt that. So I can see where that came from.”

More on the game

Watch the full video to hear Liam Scales on:

Fixtures

Celtic Vs. SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz - Thu, Oct 23rd 2025, 20:00