Trust in Bologna up there with the best performance Scales has seen

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·25 January 2026

Trust in Bologna up there with the best performance Scales has seen

Liam Scales has been signing the praise of his partner in central defence Auston Trusty as the two forge a great relationship on and off the park…

Liam Scales – Auchinleck Talbot v Celtic, Scottish Cup 4th Round, Rugby Park. Sunday 18 January 2026. Photo Vagelis Georgariou ( The Celtic Star)

This was a stand-out feature in Celtic’s defensive defiance in Bologna on Thursday night which earned the Hoops a vital point that sets the team up for Europa League qualification which will be achieved on Thursday night with a win over Utrecht at Celtic Park.

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“It’s great, it does give you the confidence,” Scales said as reported by TCW. “With the manager coming back in, we know there’s a lot of clarity. We know exactly what our jobs are and we know that our job is to defend first and everything else comes after. Having that clarity and having that confidence, it really does help. You feel like a better player off the back of that.

Auston Trusty of Celtic. Falkirk v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Falkirk Stadium, 14 January 2026. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

“We still had confidence in ourselves. There was just a lot of change, a lot of things changed. That was the cause of the disruption, the amount of change. I don’t think it was so much to do with confidence.

“If you go a few games and you’re conceding a couple of goals a game, confidence is naturally going to drop. I think that’s how it happened more so than not having the clarity. I think we had clarity, but it was just a lot of change. Once you go on a run of games conceding goals, it can be difficult to regain that confidence.”

On Trusty’s contribution to the Celtic cause, Scales was full of praise.

Auston Trusty of Celtic FC competes for the ball with Benjamin Domínguez of Bologna FC during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between Bologna FC 1909 and Celtic FC at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on January 22, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

“He’s been brilliant. Thursday night, I’d say it was up there with the best performance I’ve ever had from a centre-back partner.

“It felt like every ball that came in our box, it was like a magnet on his head. He was making blocks. He was absolutely brilliant. That’s all playing on his weaker side. It’s a credit to him.

“That’s a difficult place to be, especially as a left-footer. It’s very rare for a left-footer to play on the wrong side. Even on the ball, he uses the ball really well.

Auston Trusty of Celtic FC celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between Bologna FC 1909 and Celtic FC at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on January 22, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

“You know what you’re going to get from him defensively. He’s physically strong and he’s also got pace. Thursday night, he was brilliant.

“I think we’ve played with each other enough now to know each other’s games. That’s where you want to be. In a partnership, you want to have that. We know each other’s strengths.

“Once you have a run of games together, it gets easier and easier. You just need to concentrate and cover each other when you need to cover each other. It all comes with playing together. It’s been really enjoyable.”

High praise indeed. Both Scales and Trusty start for Celtic at Tynecastle this afternoon, with kick-off fast approaching.

It’s the last few days of the Half Price January sale at Celtic Star Books. Every book ordered is now just £10 and p&p is only charged on the first book at £4.50. So ordering three books will cost a total of £34.50 and given you a £30 saving. Order at celticstarbooks.com/shop

All Books Now Half Price in the Celtic Star Books January Sale…

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Please note that p&p is priced at £4.50 is only charged on ONE book so you can buy as many of our books as you like and the postage cost will remain the same. Why not expand your Celtic library today?