Celtic begin their quest to defend the Scottish FA Cup trophy as they welcome Highland League opposition in the shape of Buckie Thistle in the fourth round on Sunday evening.
The difference between the two sides is like night and day. The Bhoys lead the way in the Scottish top flight, while Buckie sits fifth in the fifth-tier Highland League.
Graeme Stewart's side are one of the lowest-ranked teams left in the competition, and after eventually beating East of Scotland Premier Division side Broxburn Athletic on penalties in the third round, they go up against the reigning Scottish Premiership champions in their 60,000-capacity Celtic Park with dreams of causing a seismic upset that would go down as the biggest upset in the history of the competition.
The Hoops return to competitive action after a brief winter break, but they were on a roll before that, with four wins in a row, including a 2-1 derby victory over Old Firm rivals Rangers, putting the disappointment of back-to-back defeats to Kilmarnock and Hearts at the start of December behind them.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Celtic vs Buckie Thistle kick-off time
| Date: | Sunday, January 21, 2024 |
| Kick-off time: | 11 am ET |
| Venue: | Celtic Park |
Celtic host Highland League side Buckie Thistle on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at Celtic Park. It will kick off at 11 am ET for fans in the US.
How to watch Celtic vs Buckie Thistle online - TV channels & live streams
The match will not be shown live in the US. However, live updates can be found here on GOAL.
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sports.
Team news & squads
Celtic team news
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will be without the services of quartet Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Yang Hyun-jun, all of whom are away on international duty representing their respective countries at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
The Hoops boss also confirmed in his pre-match press conference that new boy Nicolas Kuhn will not be risked, while Cameron Carter-Vickers remains out injured. Although Rodgers has vowed to treat Buckie like Bayern Munich with no room for complacency whatsoever, he's likely to give some fringe players a chance to impress.
Celtic possible XI: Hart; Johnston, Nawrocki, Scales, Taylor; McGregor, Hatate, O'Riley; Palma, Furuhashi, Abada
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Hart, Siegrist, Bain |
| Defenders: | Nawrocki, Carter-Vickers, Bernabei, Johnston, Kobayashi, Taylor, Scales, Ralston, Lagerbielke, Welsh |
| Midfielders: | Hatate, O'Riley, Bernardo, McGregor, Turnbull, Holm, Tilio, Iwata, Forrest, Kühn, McCarthy |
| Forwards: | Furuhashi, Maeda, Palma, Abada, Oh, Hyun-Jun, Johnston, Kenny |
Buckie Thistle team news
Manager Graeme Stewart will also be in the Buckie dugout despite being sent off last weekend. However, the Jags will miss Scott Adams this weekend after he was sent off in their Scottish FA Cup third-round clash against Broxburn Athletic, which will force at least one change to the starting XI that takes to the field for that game.
There's also an intriguing family connection in this FA Cup tie, as Buckie forward Josh Peters could line up against his cousin and Celtic defender Stephen Welsh, who looks to have shaken off a dislocated shoulder issue to make himself available for this fixture.
Buckie Thistle possible XI: Knight; Ramsay, McHardy, Murray, Munro; Wood, Pugh, Maciver, Barry, Goodall; Peters
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Herbert, Storrier |
| Defenders: | McHardy, MacKinnon, Morrison, Pugh, Ramsay, Munro, McLauchlan, Wood |
| Midfielders: | Macleod, Adams, Murray, MacAskill, Fraser, Barry, MacLennan, McCabe |
| Forwards: | Harvey, Goodall, Peters, Urquhart, Milne |
Head-to-Head Record
This is the first-ever meeting between the two teams, and the visitors will head into the game as massive underdogs.