Jota's return from long-term injury will come too late for the winger to play in upcoming Europa League games after the Portuguese was left out of Celtic's squad along with three of their summer signings.
Joel van den Berg, the 19-year-old bought from PSV Eindhoven, and two on-loan Chelsea midfielders - forward Shim Mheuka and midfielder Landon Emenalo - also miss out after their arrivals this week.
The 27-year-old Jota suffered a cruciate ligament injury in April 2025 but returned to training last month, with ***** istant manager Shaun Maloney stressing "he's still a matter of weeks" away from a return.
Forward Callum Osmand does make the 25-man squad despite his recent injury.
Manager Martin O'Neill said: "There are obviously some very tough decisions to be made in putting this squad together for the Europa League.

#portuguese

Celtic take on Aberdeen in a midweek Scottish Premiership showdown on Wednesday at Celtic Park, aiming to kick off their campaign with four straight league victories.
Celtic come into this game in flawless domestic shape, occupying the summit of the Scottish Premiership after winning each of their first three league matches. Their latest outing saw them edge past Falkirk with a gritty 2-1 win. Morale is sky-high after earlier commanding 4-0 and 5-1 domestic successes, even though they hit a rough patch in European action. Importantly, the Hoops boast a spotless home record at Celtic Park this term, having yet to drop points on their own turf.
Celtic receive a major lift before this midweek Scottish Premiership fixture as skipper Callum McGregor rejoins the group after shaking off a recent illness.
That said, the ***** le-holders are coping with an expanding injury roll, especially among attackers and defenders. Striker Kasper Høgh and left-back Kieran Tierney are both completely out for this match after picking up abductor problems that kept them off the training pitch.
Callum Osmand also faces multiple weeks away because of an ankle knock. Long-term casualties Alistair Johnston, Jota, and Reo Hatate stay sidelined as they work through their rehabilitation programs.

#park #term

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 14: (L-R) Opponents Joshua Van of Myanmar and Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil face off during the UFC 331 press conference at Xfinity Mobile Arena on August 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
The next numbered event on the UFC schedule takes place on Saturday, September 19, from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. That event, UFC 331, is headlined by a ***** le fight and a possible ***** le eliminator. In the UFC 331 main event, current flyweight champion Joshua Van puts his ***** le on the line against the man he defeated for that crown, Alexandre Pantoja. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan meets Mauricio Ruffy in a lightweight contest that could determine the next foe for 155-pound champion Justin Gaethje. We look at the opening betting odds and early line movement for the two fights at the top of the UFC 331 marquee.
Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Maurício Ruffy
Patrício Pitbull vs. Choi Doo-ho
Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega
Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski
Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf
Marlon Vera vs. Charles Jourdain
Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne
Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Brunno Ferreira
Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito
Casey O'Neill vs. Eduarda Moura
Ryan Gandra vs. Osman Diaz
Michael Aswell Jr. vs. Yoo Joo-sang

#alexandre #Event #august #arena

The Celtic manager will be looking for a positive reaction from the players who will still be hurting having had their Champions League dream torn from them. They will know that the Celtic supporters who travelled to Linz were angry at the end and that was the same emotion for the rest of us watching on Amazon Prime.
Martin O'Neill has made three changes to his starting XI for today's match against Falkirk with Liam Scales replacing Auston Trusty, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain coming in for the Celtic captain Callum McGregor, who is suffering from a sickness bug while Haissem Hassan gets his first start for Celtic with Yang and Camilo Duran the other two forwards.
Duran will play as the striker with Kasper Hogh out with a knock picked up in Austria.
On the bench for Celtic this afternoon are Doohan, Trusty, McCowan, Tounekti, Osmand, Kenny, Murray, Forrest and Kennedy.
Kick-off is at 3pm and the match is live on Celtic Player for subscribers based outside of Britain and Ireland.

#match #linz #martin

Despite his efforts to prove otherwise, Jean-Philippe Mateta still has 10 months left on his contract.
That is significant for a number of reasons.
It means if Crystal Palace are to recoup any money in transfer fees for the striker before he is eligible to sign a Bosman pre-contract with an overseas club in January, then this window provides their last opportunity to do so.
That fact will not be lost on those at Selhurst Park and there is a view from some at the club that they should look to sever ties in the coming days.
But with Mateta less than 12 months away from a free transfer, which would most probably be more financially lucrative for him than leaving for a fee this month, it would be understandable if the 29-year-old was not rushing out of the exit door.

#mateta #contract #club

This time last year we were facing a daunting, and gruelling trip to Kazakhstan with our Champions League aspirations very much on the line.
Having flopped at home against minnows Kairat Almaty, we made the long journey, and were ultimately made to pay as the Kazakh side beat us on spot kicks to kill off our Champions League aspirations, and confine us to the Europa League.
The only 'new' additions to Brendan Rodgers pool of players for those two games were the returning Kieran Tierney (who had signed a pre-contract months earlier) with Shin Yamada, loan signing Jahmai Simpson Pusey, and Callum Osmand the other new recruits, but were very much seen as bench players at the most.
Temirlan Anarbekov of Kairat clutches the ba during the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round First Leg match between Celtic and Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park on August 20, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
That failure to add any real quality to our side was the biggest factor for our failure not just in Europe, but the following few months to follow. Something that resulted in Brendan Rodgers deciding enough was enough, which culminated in the Irishman handing in his notice.

#league #almaty #brendan

Inter will welcome their only target for the midfield before the opener, as they have reached an agreement with Liverpool to acquire Curtis Jones. They have been courting him since the beginning of the summer. While he was immediately keen on joining, concocting the deal took some work, La Gazzetta dello Sport relays.
In the end, the Reds lowered their demands a little. The Englishman is transferring for €30M, plus €5M add-ons and a 10 percent sell-on clause. He'll sign a five-year contract and make about €4M annually.
Jones is the third player signed by Inter coming from the Premier League this summer after John Stones and Djed Spence. Liverpool ultimately granted a small discount to avoid a Bosman departure in a year. The midfielder seemingly only wanted to head to San Siro.
Christian Chivu was one of the main proponents of the deal. He believes the newcomer will be able to play in multiple positions and bring something different to the table. The Nerazzurri also had to move Davide Frattesi to make room.
They might have some sort of cap when it comes to fees and total packages. It's basically the same operation they devised for Spence. They waited patiently for the sellers to get to their numbers, and not the other way around, after convincing the players, which is a testament to their appeal. They'll be a little overcrowded for a season. However, after all, Hakan Calhanoglu, Piotr Zielinski, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan aren't getting any younger. They were almost irrationally fixated on him, considering his role and what he showed in recent years, so they must have a pretty good plan to make him thrive.

#deal

Dayton reliever Graham Osman played the underappreciated middle reliever role to perfection Saturday, Aug. 8, to change the momentum of a series against first-place Great Lakes.
And who could have seen it coming. Osman pitched at Great Lakes on July 9 and allowed three runs in 1⅓ innings. He allowed a run in 1⅓ innings against the Loons on Tuesday, Aug. 4. He entered Saturday's game in the fourth inning with a 9.00 ERA.
The Loons already had five runs. They are in first place with a potent lineup. Surely, they weren't finished.
But after a 30-minute weather delay, Osman took the mound by storm and the Loons' offense dried up. He pitched 3⅔ innings and struck out seven, including the side twice, to help lead the Dragons to an 8-5 victory.
No hits, no walks, no runs, not even a base runner.

#osman

Manchester United outcast Joshua Zirkzee is reportedly keen to join Juventus this summer, but the Italians must sell first. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Turin giants are facing a race against time to offload unsettled Jonathan David.
David, who joined Juventus on a Bosman deal last summer, endured an underwhelming first season in Serie A. The Canadian striker scored just six goals in 35 league appearances, while it's also worth noting that he fell out of favor with the home crowd at the Allianz Stadium.
Therefore, Juventus have put the former Lille star up for sale. Despite arriving in Turin as one of the most highly rated center-forwards in Europe's top-five leagues, there's currently a shortage of suitors for David, whose future could determine the club's pursuit of Zirkzee.
Meanwhile, Juventus have already signed Jeff Ekhator and are now on the verge of bringing Randal Kolo Muani back to the club, with the latter expected to replace Dusan Vlahovic. However, with Lois Openda gone after a disastrous campaign, Luciano Spalletti is eager to land Zirkzee as well.
The Dutchman made a name for himself at Bologna before earning a big-money move to Man Utd in 2024. Yet, he has never settled in the Premier League. After netting just nine goals in 75 matches for the Red Devils, he has found himself on the fringes at Old Trafford.

#zirkzee #turin #manchester

Callum Osmand scores. Celtic v theRangers. Premier Sports Cup, semi final at Hampden. 2 November 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou
It's a challenging season ahead for the Celtic squad with new faces expected to arrive in several areas of the park, and one man in particular will find it even tougher to get minutes given the two new arrivals he's now got to contend with in order to get his chance to establish himself as a regular starter.
Callum Osmand, the highly rated 20 year old who was signed from Fulham last summer had a mixed experience last campaign, having impressed in stages only to succumb to long term injury, but signed off last campaign with an unforgettable goal in an unforgettable last day ***** le win.
Cameron Devlin of Heart of Midlothian reacts after conceding a third goal scored by Callum Osmand of Celtic (not pictured) during the Scottishl Premiership match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park on May 16, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
After a full pre season, Callum is now fighting fit and raring to go, but faces a huge obstacle in his way in the shape of new additions £5.5m Camilo Duran, and £11 million man Kasper Hogh, both of whom will undoubtedly be seen as automatic first choice picks ahead of the Jersey born youngster.

#celtic #callum #park #faces

Many Bayern Munich youngsters are catching the eye of head coach Vincent Kompany, training regularly with the first team, sealing ambitious loans and closing in on regular appearances in professional football. However, some of these players are just too young for all of that. Erblin Osmani and Filip Pavić, 17 and 16 respectively and both regular starters as part of the U-19s in the 2025-26 season, are two such young players.
Kicker reports, as captured by iMiaSanMia_GER, that both players are set to stay at Bayern, while also providing an update for Wisdom Mike:
Erblin Osmani is set to train with the pros and play for the U19s. Wisdom Mike first needs to find his way back into the team. Filip Pavić is to get a taste of training and can hope for pro minutes during the season if he performs well.
Pavić has been part of the the U-23's preseason under head coach Dante, so perhaps he will get the chance to play professional football in the fourth division of German football at the tender age of 16 if he is not demoted back to the U-19s.
Meanwhile, Mike is a completely different situation altogether. After starting the season in such a promising way and garnering five appearances for the first team, his form trailed off terribly as the season went on before suffering a serious injury late in the season. It is still unclear if he will be fit in time for the end of the transfer window, but one will have to **** ume, after minutes for the U-19s, U-23s and senior team last season, that he has not much to gain from another season playing for the Bayern's youth teams. If he regains his fitness in time, do not be surprised if he leaves the club on loan around transfer deadline day.

#mike #bayern #erblin

FORT DODGE — The hopes of bringing home the program's second 3A state softball ****** le ended for Albia at the hands of a team that has won the last two 2A state championships.
For the second time in three days, big blows by the bats of Van Meter proved to be too much for the Lady Dees to overcome. Jilly Wosmansky delivered a go-ahead three-run home run in the third inning for the sixth-ranked Bulldogs while Annie Netten added a two-run homer in the top of the seventh, clinching a 7-2 win over third-ranked Albia advancing to the final four of the Class 3A state softball tournament on Wednesday.
"We knew we were going to have to play a nearly perfect game to win and we didn't do that," Albia head softball coach Larry Achenbach said. "We had some base-running mistakes, they had big hits when they needed them and that was the difference."
Van Meter (34-7) advanced to face No. 2 Dubuque Walhert (37-6) later on Wednesday afternoon on Iowa Central Field inside the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex. To make it to the Class 3A state championship game, the reigning two-time 2A state champs needed to beat Walhert twice.
Albia, meanwhile, brings the curtain down on one of the best seasons in program history. The Lady Dees finished with an overall 33-3 record, one victory shy of the most in any single season for an Albia softball team.

#lady #walhert

Per a release from FCBayern.com, Bayern Munich has extended the contract of 17-year-old midfielder Erblin OsmaniL
FC Bayern have extended Erblin Osmani's contract early on. The 17-year-old midfield talent joined the record champions' youth academy when the campus opened in 2017 and has since progressed through all the youth teams.
Osmani joined FC Bayern's academy from TSV Milbertshofen's U9 team. Last season, he initially played for the U17s, then also for the U19s, and in March, in the Bundesliga home match against Union Berlin (4-0), he made his debut at the Allianz Arena under head coach Vincent Kompany. He is initially slated to play for the U19s next season. His new contract will automatically convert into a professional contract upon his 18th birthday.
Bayern Munich director of youth development Jochen Sauer is happy to see Osmani stick with the club.
"Erblin is a native of Munich and a true FC Bayern homegrown talent. He has already made his debut with our first team and we are convinced of his further development potential. We are delighted that Erblin will also take the next steps with us," Sauer said.

#bayern #erblin #extended #year

Celtic have reportedly made contact with AEK Athens to sign left-back James Penrice. The 27-year-old made the switch to Greece in 2025, with Hearts receiving £2m for the player.
According to transfer journalist Ben Jacobs, Celtic have made contact with the Super League side as they look to tempt ex-Livingston defender to Glasgow East End.
You would imagine that Celtic would have to pay in excess of the £2m that AEK paid for Penrice. The product of the Partick Thistle Academy has made 33 appearances for the Greek side, ***** isting once. His figures from Hearts are impressive, considering the circumstances of that season at Tynecastle. The left-back made 46 appearances, scoring twice and ***** isting on seven occasions.
Celtic are in the market for a left back to act as cover for Tierney after no deal was forthcoming to re-sign Marcelo Saracchi. The 28-year-old was instrumental in Celtic's final day success over Hearts, playing the defence splitting pass that helped Callum Osmand slide the ball into the path of Daizen Maeda to give Celtic the lead.
Penrice would satisfy Celtic's quotas for homegrown talent in Europe and Celtic would be getting a player that can ably deputise to Tierney, getting game time and improving, as well as moving closer to home.

#left #back #year

If a recent transfer update from Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph is accurate, Celtic have offered Kelechi Iheanacho a new contract, with the Nigerian now training on his own after his Parkhead deal expired a couple of weeks ago. However, the in-demand centre-forward has yet to accept the offer, as he is ***** sing all the proposals before committing his future.
The 29-year-old Nigerian international completed a Bosman switch, reuniting with Brendan Rodgers back in September. But the Northern Irishman stepped down from his role in less than two months following a series of disappointing outcomes. Iheanacho, who was supposed to spearhead the attack, had a stop-start season due to persistent injury problems. Nevertheless, he shook it off late in the campaign and netted some decisive goals as a ‘super sub’ en route to conquering the ‘domestic double’.
MOTHERWELL, SCOTLAND – MAY 13: Stephen O’Donnell of Motherwell passes the ball while under pressure from Kelechi Iheanacho of Celtic during the William Hill Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic at Fir Park on May 13, 2026 in Motherwell, Scotland. (Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images)
Although the deadline for triggering the one-year extension of his previous contract had already expired, Martin O’Neill has confirmed that a concrete offer has been made for the hitman. The veteran Northern Irish boss reiterated his desire to keep hold of the ‘number 9’, and it is now up to Iheanacho whether he prefers a return or a fresh challenge elsewhere.
Despite a slow start to the window, Celtic have lately stepped up their transfer business. O’Neill has convinced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay for at least one more season. Also, a fee of around £6m has been splashed to secure Camilo Duran’s services from Qarabağ. Meanwhile, Daizen Maeda is seeking an exit to pursue his Premier League dreams, and Duran, known for his high work ethic and flexibility up top, could emerge as a like-for-like replacement for the ***** anese striker.

It's strange knowing what we know now, but on this day in 1999, German international Thomas Helmer completed his move to Sunderland. The 34-year-old central defender had only weeks prior been in the Bayern Munich squad that were beaten by Manchester United in the Champions League final.
He'd also played in two World Cups for his country, and Peter Reid stated he'd bring "invaluable experience" to his squad.
Helmer moved from Bayern Munich on a Bosman free transfer and immediately joined his new teammates for the tour in Denmark. Before Bayern, Helmer had spells with Arminia Bielefeld and Borussia Dortmund, so the move to Wearside was his first outside of Germany as he talked about his move:
I am looking forward to joining my team-mates in Denmark and helping Sunderland do well in the Premiership next season. I could have joined Liverpool six months ago but felt that the time was not right for me or my family.
As soon as I heard of Sunderland's interest I came straight over and was very impressed with the Stadium of Light and what the manager had to say

Former USA TODAY Sports reporter Crissy Froyd has found herself back in the spotlight as fresh details continue to emerge from the controversy involving Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Froyd lost her position at USA TODAY Sports in April after publicly discussing the situation, and the latest developments have once again prompted her to comment.
The New York Times published an article by Katherine Rosman and Ken Belson that includes new details and adds another layer to the story. After the report surfaced, Froyd delivered a one-word reaction on social media.
“Wow…” Froyd wrote on X.
The New York Times article stated that Russini received an outline of the investigation before publication and chose not to provide a comment. The report also outlined earlier communication between Russini and the newspaper.

The five-in-a-row Champions of Scotland will unfurl the league flag and kick off their defence of the ***** le with a home match against Dundee on Monday, August 3, 2026 (KO 7.30pm).
The Hoops secured a 56th Scottish ***** le in dramatic circumstances on the final day of last season with a 3-1 victory over Hearts at Paradise, with late goals from Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand delivering Martin O’Neill’s fourth league ***** le as Celtic manager.
Following the opening fixture against Dundee, the Hoops travel to Rugby Park to face Kilmarnock on Sunday, August 9 at 1.30pm. Then it’s a trip to Perth for Martin O’Neill’s men where they will face newly promoted St Johnstone on Saturday, August 22 (KO 3pm) followed by two home games against Falkirk (August 29, KO 3pm) and Aberdeen (September 2, KO 7.45pm).
A full list of Celtic’s league fixtures is available below.
All fixtures subject to change.