Celtic will begin the 2019-20 season in high spirits, having won the last nine domestic trophies on offer in Scotland.
The target of Neil Lennon’s side this time around, however, is to equal history by winning a ninth-straight Scottish Premiership title, taking them to the brink of the elusive 10-in-a-row.
The Parkhead side will have to prepare hard because across the city Steven Gerrard’s Rangers are mustering their forces to prevent another sweep of silverware from the East End, but there is little doubt that the Hoops go into the coming campaign very much the side in the ascendancy once more.
Here is your complete guide to Celtic’s 2019-20 pre-season and Scottish Premiership fixtures, with dates, venues and all you need to know about their summer preparations.
Celtic pre-season fixtures
| Date | Match | Time (UK / US ET) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26 | SK Pinkafeld | 5:30pm / 12:30pm | Sportplatz, Pinkafeld, Austria |
| Jun 29 | Wiener SC | 5pm / 12pm | Sportclub - Platz, Vienna, Austria |
| Jul 2 | St Gallen | 6:30pm / 1:30pm | Stadion Kybunpark, St Gallen, Switzerland |
| Jul 9 | Sarajevo* | 7:45pm / 2:45pm | Asim Ferhatovic Has Stadium, Sarajevo |
| Jul 13 | Rennes | 3pm / 10am | Celtic Park, Glasgow |
| Jul 17 | Sarajevo* | 7:45pm / 2:45pm | Celtic Park, Glasgow |
*Champions League qualifier
Celtic confirmed in April that they would be heading back to central Europe for their latest pre-season camp.
They will jet out to Austria for a training retreat in late June and will play fixtures against SC Pinkafeld and Wiener SC before tackling Swiss side St Gallen on July 2.
Sandwiched between two Champions League first-leg qualification games against Sarajevo, they have a home friendly with Coupe de France winners Rennes on July 13 to look forward to.
Celtic 2019-20 transfer activity
The chief area that Celtic are set to strengthen in the summer is the defence, and it is believed that they are looking to England for reinforcements. Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori and Ipswich right-back Dylan Crowe are two of the players they have been linked with lately.
Patrick Roberts, the Manchester City winger, who has previously been at the club on loan and has a particularly strong friendship with Kieran Tierney, has been linked with a switch back to Celtic, but it seems likelier that they will be beaten to him.
Getty ImagesThe Hoops have also been linked with a potential move for a centre forward this summer, with Bournemouth’s Lys Mousset and Rekeem Harper of WBA targets.
Celtic are set to lose three players at the end of their loan deals, the most notable of which was Leicester centre-back Filip Benkovic. Meanwhile, right-back Jeremy Toljan will return to Borussia Dortmund and Ollie Burke will go back to West Brom.
Dedryck Boyata, meanwhile, will make a Bosman move to Bundesliga outfit Hertha, while bit-part players Emilio Izaguirre and Scott Allan will leave at the end of their contracts. Allan already has a deal with Scottish Premiership outfit Hibs.
Transfer activity in
N/A
Transfer activity out
| Position | Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | Dedryck Boyata | Hertha Berlin | free | Jul 1 |
| CM | Scott Allan | Hibernian | free | Jul 1 |
| DF | Cristian Gamboa | Released | - | Jul 1 |
| DF | Mikael Lustig | Gent | free | Jul 1 |
| DF | Emilio Izaguirre | Released | - | Jul 1 |
| GK | Dorus de Vries | Retired | - | Jul 1 |
Celtic 2019-20 Scottish Premiership fixtures
Celtic's quest for a record-equalling ninth successive Scottish Premiership title will begin on Saturday, August 3 against St Johnstone.
By that point, Celtic will hope to have won through two qualifying matches in the Champions League.
Participation in Europe means that Celtic are excused from the group stages of the League Cup, which they will enter in the second round.
Meanwhile, like all Premiership sides, they will enter the Scottish Cup in the fourth round, which will take place in January.