The honeymoon won’t end in Gibraltar but the serious action will as Brendan Rodgers faces his competitive debut against Lincoln Red Imps tomorrow night.
Twenty-nine players were listed for the friendly against Maribor but only 18 will make it into the UEFA team sheet leaving half a dozen players wondering about their future.
Midfield will be the biggest call for Rodgers to make although at right-back there are four options in Saidy Janko, Mikael Lustig, Darnell Fisher and Anthony Ralston.
There are probably no more than six players assured of their place in the team tomorrow night, the names of the other players will reveal a lot about how Rodgers is looking for his side to play.
Will ‘contract rebel’ James Forrest start or be involved?
Will mystery Deila signings Scott Allan or Ryan Christie feature?
Can Callum McGregor add to his impressive European record?
Will Nadir Ciftci be in the picture?
Can Liam Henderson develop on from a season on loan at Hibs?
Having been invited down for dinner with the new boss and quickly formed a mutual appreciation society Scott Brown is a certain starter against Lincoln Red Imps and the armband.
Signed by Gordon Strachan, given the captaincy by Tony Mowbray and revived by Neil Lennon the Fifer is about to serve under his fifth Celtic manager.
Brown’s heart has always been in the right place but defining his role in the team has been more difficult but his old fashioned playing values are deemed essential in the modern game.
There were always doubts about his relationship with John Collins, with a new regime in place including his former Scotland team-mate John Kennedy Brown will be expected to lead from the front.
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What a year it’s been for Kieran Tierney,
a the signing of Tyler Blackett on loan could have killed his prospects stone dead but a red card for Emilio Izaguirre and the disastrous form of the Manchester United loanee opened the door.
Rather than open the door the teenager barged it down and would have cleaned up on the player-of-the-year awards if it hadn’t been for Leigh Griffiths 40 goal season.
With another contract signed up Tierney is here to stay- performing in the Champions League will be second nature for the Academy bhoy that takes every challenge in his stride.
 
Craig Gordon is uncontested in the Celtic goal
a with injury to Logan Bailly suddenly making the goalkeeping position more vulnerable.
In the 2014/15 Europa League group stage the former Sunderland keeper saved Celtic from embarrassment but was badly at fault in the 3-3 draw with Inter Milan.
Last season was a mixed bag for the hoops keeper without the security of Jason Denayer and Virgil van Dijk anchoring the defence.
Gordon on top of his form in front of a reliable back four will be a major factor in Celtic’s Champions League fate.
 
Leigh Griffiths did more than most to get Celtic into last season’s Champions League group phase-
a scoring twice in the 3-2 win over Malmo.
In the second leg he was lucky to stay on the park after kicking out at an opponent- a rare example of a loss of discipline for the major success of the Ronny Deila managerial reign.
Last season’s 40 goal tally will be hard to match or beat- reaching the Champions League would compensate the striker if he falls short of last season’s goal tally.
 
Erik Sviachenko was probably the best signing made during Deila’s two seasons at Celtic.
Arriving in mid-season is never easy but despite the turmoil at the club the Dane settled quickly into defence with his leadership qualities emerging.
Finding a leader to guide the defence will be essential as the qualifying campaign goes further. The defender knows the demands and expectations of Celtic- don’t bet against him coming up with a vital goal on the journey.