Celtic will aim to maintain their unbeaten start to pre-season when they welcome Preston North End to Glasgow for Saturday's friendly encounter.
Ange Postecoglou's men were held to a goalless stalemate by Bristol City last time out, while Preston's stint in Scotland started with a 1-1 draw at St Johnstone.
Match preview
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After ending their brief stay in Wales with two victories to their name from clashes with Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic, Celtic were ultimately frustrated in their bid for a third successive pre-season win as Bristol City kept the scoreline goalless for the entirety of the 90 minutes.
Despite failing to find the back of the net on the night, recently-appointed manager Ange Postecoglou looked at the positives from his side's performance, and Celtic fans would likely have taken notice of Rangers' lowly defeat to Tranmere Rovers ahead of next season's title battle.
Celtic will take on West Ham United in their final pre-season friendly next week, but there is also the small matter of a two-legged Champions League qualification tie with FC Midtjylland to take into account, the first game of which will take place next Tuesday.
Furthermore, with Postecoglou having been dealt a couple of injury blows during the goalless draw against Bristol City, Saturday ought to provide some of the young Bhoys an opportunity to write their names into the new manager's good books early on.
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Meanwhile, Preston's trip to St Johnstone unsurprisingly turned out to be a much more low-key affair than their visit to Bamber Bridge, during which Frankie McAvoy's men came out on top in an 11-goal thriller by eight strikes to three.
Preston did draw first blood against the Scottish Cup double winners thanks to Benjamin Whiteman's 35th-minute effort, but St Johnstone levelled through David Wotherspoon five minutes into the second half before he failed to find the target from the penalty spot in a 1-1 draw.
Following the encounter, McAvoy lamented 'too much tippy tappy' from his side at McDiarmid Park, but he was nonetheless able to look on the bright side of the result before an even sterner test awaits in the form of Celtic, albeit a bruised and battered one.
The Deepdale club will also face relatively friendly fixtures with Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic before the end of the month, but McAvoy's side will also be testing themselves against both Manchester clubs as they seek to carry the momentum forward from their strong finish to the Championship campaign.
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Team News
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Celtic lost both Karamoko Dembele and Michael Johnston to first-half injuries in their recent draw with Bristol City, while goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas was due to play but dislocated his finger during the warm-up.
Ismaila Soro also lasted just 45 minutes of that encounter, but the club have confirmed the arrival of 19-year-old winger Liel Abada, and he is expected to link up with the squad before Saturday.
Leigh Griffiths has been cleared over allegations of sending inappropriate messages to teenage girls - with police finding 'no criminality' during the investigation - but Postecoglou has not been in contact with the 30-year-old since he left the camp.
Preston handed Matthew Olosunde his first start for the club against St Johnstone, but the American right-back was on the receiving end of some crunching tackles and will need to be double-checked before the trip to Celtic.
Brad Potts enjoyed an impressive substitute cameo and could be rotated into the side here, while familiar names such as Ched Evans and ex-Celtic man Scott Sinclair may also come into McAvoy's thinking.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Bain; Ralston; Welsh, Urhoghide, Taylor; Shaw, McGregor, Turnbull; Moffat, Henderson; Ajeti
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Rudd; Van den Berg, Bauer, Lindsay; Potts, Whiteman, Ledson, Cunningham; Harrop; Evans, Sinclair
We say: Celtic 1-0 Preston North End
Celtic are running dangerously low on attacking options before their Champions League battles commence, and Postecoglou is not exactly well-stocked in all areas of the pitch either.
Preston have enjoyed a respectable start to their pre-season endeavours, but we can still see them coming up short here as Celtic aim to build some much-desired momentum before next week.
Ben Knapton
