November continues to provide tough challenges for Celtic

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·11 novembre 2025

November continues to provide tough challenges for Celtic

After the joy surrounding Celtic’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden Park against theRangers, Martin O’Neill’s Celtic side faced a hectic schedule in November with three massive matches in both the Scottish Premiership and the Europa League still to play this month…

Callum McGregor at Hampden. Celtic v theRangers. Premier Sports Cup, semi final at Hampden. 2 November 2025. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)

Vidéos OneFootball

Next up for Celtic was a challenging match in the Europa League away to Danish side FC Midtjlland who were leading the Europa League standings after three rounds of matches, after collected maximum points including an impressive win in England, akin to the newest online casino Australia jackpot against Nottingham Forest, then managed by the Australian former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou.

Nottingham Forest coach Ange Postecoglou during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea at City Ground on October 18, 2025. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The Australian lost his job shortly afterwards which also happened to him back in May after he won the Europa League for Tottenham. It’s a funny old game right enough.

The Danish pacemakers were full of confidence after their brilliant start to their European campaign and made the most of their two away victories (they’d also won in Israel) by using their home advantage to take the points against Celtic in a 3-1 victory.

Martin Erlic of FC Midtjylland scores the opening goal Midtjylland vs Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Group Stage, Football, MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark – 06 Nov 2025Herning MCH Arena Denmark Photo Michael Zemanek IMAGO/Shutterstock

Much of their work on Celtic will have focused on Brendan Rodgers and his rigid 4-3-3 possession based football. But the early evidence from the interim management team of Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney is that the style is changing and Celtic will sacrifice possession percentages to play a more adventurous attacking system that will made the game at theMCH Arena different from what they were probably expecting. But poor defending an eight minute spell late in the first half saw Celtic ship three goals and finish the match as a contest. At least the visitors ‘won’ the second half through a Reo Hatate penalty kick.

Reo Hatate of Celtic scores his sides first goal Midtjylland vs Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Group Stage, Football, MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark – 06 Nov 2025. Photo Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock

Rodgers ‘resigned’ on Monday night two weeks ago after asking for a ‘clear the air’ meeting with the Celtic Board after his ongoing responses to questions at media conferences where the bemoaned the club’s failings in both transfer windows in 2025. Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney, his former player at Celtic two decades earlier, arrived at Celtic Park the next day and beat Falkirk 4-0 – a well fancied score prediction on AuCasinosList – the next night in their first game in charge.

Celtic, after back-to-back defeats in the Scottish Premiership leading into that match against Falkirk, were trailing frontrunners Hearts and cannot afford to further points being spilled in November. In the one and only home match of the month, Kilmarnock were the visitors on Sunday, 9 November and O’Neill’s side swept the Rugby Park outfit aside with a 4-0 win. Hearts meanwhile had drawn against both St Mirren and Dundee United while Celtic under O’Neill beat Falkirk and Kilmarnock , cutting the Edinburgh side’s lead by four points and improving Celtic’s goal difference into the bargain.

The Ayrshire side are always a stuffy opponent when they come to Celtic Park. They play a low block, try to frustrate Celtic, waste as much time as they are allowed to be the referee and look to work of scraps and set-plays for their own goal threat. Celtic more direct approach, rather than possession for possession’s sake football, gave the Celtic support plenty of confidence in this match, and an early Celtic goal from Johnny Kenny opened up the game as Celtic cruised to a 4-0 victory.

Now it’s an international break, and perhaps the time for the Celtic Board, seemingly managed and controlled by non executive director and principal shareholder, the Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond, to look to make an announcement on the new manager.

Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney both confirmed that they are in the job on an interim basis only but in football things change quickly.

Martin O’Neill interim manager of Celtic Midtjylland vs Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Group Stage, Football, MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark – 06 November 2025Herning MCH Arena Denmark Photo Michael Zemanek Shutterstock IMAGO

Anyway we can only speculate who might be in the Celtic dugout for the remaining three very tough matches in November all of which will be played away from home. The first is away to St Mirren on Saturday 22 November (evening kick-off), who were robbed of a victory over leaders Hearts in midweek, with what might actually be the worst VAR call of them all (and that’s saying something). The Saints are notoriously difficult to beat in their own stadium in Paisley but its maximum points picked up in games like this that define Champions.

St Mirren will also be Celtic’s opponents in the Premier Sports Cup Final in December, after their semi-final win over Motherwell, the day before Celtic beat theRangers, so this Scottish Premiership match will also be seen as a dress rehearsal for the Hampden showpiece.

General view outside the stadium prior to the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Feyenoord and Aston Villa FC at De Kuip on October 02, 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

They it’s an historic European fixture for Celtic, a trip to the Netherlands on Thursday 27 November for a rematch with Celtic’s 1970 European Cup Final opponents in Milan. Feyenoord, who last week were punished by UEFA for fan issues (flares etc) and will have a stand closed at Stadion Feijenoord more commonly known by its nickname De Kuip, have been closely matched with Celtic in recent meetings with home advantage usually proving decision. The stand closure may help Celtic as they look to make progress in their European campaign. Both teams are in desperate need of the points so it should be a match with intensity and plenty of attacking football.

Celtic’s month ends with a trip through to Edinburgh on Sunday 30 November to take on Hibs at Easter Road. Hopefully by the time that game has ended Celtic will have closed the gap even further on current leaders Hearts who come to Celtic Park early in December.