By Jack Cranmer

Celtic will look to put their Sunday Dens Park blues behind them on Thursday evening as they welcome Austrian side Sturm Graz to Celtic Park, in what already feels like a must-win match for both the Hoops and Brendan Rodgers.

The visitors currently sit top of the Austrian Bundesliga, clear of Red Bull Salzburg with a game in hand.

They are already well known to Scottish football supporters, having defeated Celtic’s Old Firm rivals Rangers in their previous UEFA Europa League outing just two weeks ago, in what proved to be sacked Gers head coach Russell Martin’s penultimate match.

Following his side’s drab defeat to Steven Pressley’s Dundee at the weekend, Rodgers voiced his frustrations over the transfer market, claiming he was being asked to push a squad beyond its capabilities.

He quipped that he was being asked to “drive a Honda Civic like a Ferrari.” Now, however, he must find a way to navigate past the KTM X-Bow that left Rangers in the dust last time out, but what can they learn from their rivals failings?

Pole position

Rangers allowed the Austrians to seize the initiative from the off at the Merkur Arena, conceding inside the opening ten minutes and immediately putting themselves on the back foot. Rodgers can use that as a blue-flag warning: keep things tight in the early stages and don’t allow the visitors an easy foothold in the Installation lap of the match.

Deploying Callum McGregor as the safety car in holding midfield would help Celtic control possession early and settle into the match.

The Celtic Park crowd might grow restless with a cautious start, but it remains the safest route to ensuring they’re still in pole position for qualification come full time and do not lose any more ground.

Sectors

In the match against Rangers, Sturm Graz’s performance ebbed and flowed, this was no 90-minute performance.

They came out the blocks with a jump start and raced into a two-goal lead but dipped badly after the restart allowing Rangers to grab a goal back but recovered well to manage the game and see it out with a victory despite sustained pressure from the Ibrox club.

Celtic must control this, keep their opponents at bay early doors, utilize the pace out wide, and of Daizen Maeda if fit, strike when they tire and put them to the sword after the break, before copying the Blacks closing performance against the blue half of Glasgow and manage out a well-needed victory.

Billy Rankin, host of Rangers podcast The Rangers Journal commented on his teams match against Sturm Graz following their defeat.

He said: “In the second half we got on top for 15 or 20 minutes by trying a bit harder, running about a bit and having, what I feel, are better players. 

“And that almost, for a while, overcame the organisation from Sturm Graz but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that if we had a manager who knew what he was doing doing, a manager who puts a solid framework in, could have turned the match around after the poor start.”

This would suggest that if Celtic are organised in their setup, keep their shape, and don’t throw away goals like their Ibrox counterparts did, they will have a good chance of defeating their opponents.

However, Celtic supporter and host of the Bhoys in Green YouTube show, feels Celtic at the moment, do not seem like a side capable of that.

He said: “I don’t think there is a plan to be honest with you. If there is one, it’s not working. The game on Sunday [against Dundee] was one of the worst Celtic performances I’ve ever seen.”

Red flags

The danger signs throughout the Sturm Graz side were clear to see against Rangers. The diamond formation used by Jürgen Säumel causes congestion in the middle, allowing the full backs extra space out wide, which could be an added issue with Celtic’s wing backs inverting inside.

Whilst space is lacking in the middle, allowing Georgian playmaker Otar Kiteishvili the ability to ghost in behind, something McGregor will need to be extra careful of.

However, Granger is not confident the Celtic captain remains up to the task: “McGregor’s legs look gone,” he said: “I think Celtic are going to be really struggling Thursday night in midfield.”

Despite not scoring last time out, Maurice Malone will provide a physical battle up front which Cameron Carter-Vickers will need to be in the mood to match if Celtic are to gain their first three points of the league phase.

The cockpit

Whilst not under immediate pressure from the Celtic hierarchy, Rodgers has come under criticism this season from vocal sections of the Parkhead faithful.

With Hearts leading the Scottish Premiership by five points ahead of the Hoops trip to Tynecastle this Sunday and Celtic without a win in the past four European games this season, Rodgers needs to get wins on the board, and quickly, before the ire towards the upper echelons of Parkhead turn on him.

Samuel meanwhile is in an enviable position, top of the table and in a decent position in the Europa League after his sides victory over Rangers. He is at ease while Rodgers is under pressure and clearly discontented ahead of his contract’s expiry this summer.

Ahead of the match he said: “We know we have to improve as a team for Thursday and a tough challenge awaits us against Celtic.

“When we play Celtic, we cannot afford to take our foot off the gas. I’m an attack-minded coach, but we also need to do the basics right and defend better.

“We want to win as many games as possible, but I also know that the next game at Celtic will be a different kettle of fish, because the stadium factor comes into play.”

Rodgers is still to speak to the media tomorrow ahead of the match, but Granger feels the fans are already questioning the man who has led them to four league titles.

He said: “No section of the club are blameless, the board for me are the most to blame, they’re constantly asking for money and it’s not getting reinvested into the team.

“But Rodgers has enough there to beat most teams, he should have had enough to beat Kairat Almaty but he’s not getting anywhere near enough out of those players.

“We look as if we are picking and choosing games to perform in now. That’s where we are at.”

Chequered Flag

All signs point to a high-stakes showdown under the lights in Glasgow. Celtic are stalled on the grid, their engine sputtering after a sluggish run of domestic form and European frustration, while Sturm Graz arrive with the confidence of a team already fine-tuned.

Rodgers needs a performance that reignites belief among a restless support and prove he can still steer this side through turbulent conditions.

Mistakes early on could spell another spin-out for the Hoops, but if they learn from Rangers mistakes and stay compact, absorb pressure, then open the throttle when Sturm tire, that famous Celtic Park European atmosphere may roar them across the line once again.

Failure to do so, however, and the noise from the grandstands may shift from encouragement to dissent and pile pressure one the once universally lauded Celtic gaffer if they do not find their top gear after stalling against Dundee.