Brendan Rodgers will opt for a traditional 4-4-2 formation led by French duo Odsonne Edouard and Moussa Dembele in the Champions League qualifier against Alashkert.
A hoped for route of eight matches to the windfall of the Champions League group phase begins in Armenia with almost half of the squad that featured in the Scottish Cup Final win over Motherwell missing.
Stuart Armstrong and Paddy Roberts have been transferred, Tom Rogic, Mikael Lustig and Dedryck Boyata are still unavailable due to the World Cup while Leigh Griffiths is carrying an injury.
No significant new faces have been brought in to last seasons squad although Lewis Morgan and Mikey Johnston would dispute that as they join in their first Champions League campaign.
Alashkert and Armenian football has no real pedigree but the same was said about Lincoln Red Imps two years ago.
Rodgers of course knows his players much better than he did in Gibraltar with the squad having the know how of two successful qualifying campaigns behind them.
A year ago away to Linfield Celtic were about to lose their two strikers, this time around it seems certain that he will be able to start with two young French strikers with plenty to prove.
The action starts at 5pm Celtic Park time tomorrow, hopefully leading to the top table populated by our friends at Barcelona and the rest of the European elite.
CRAIG GORDON
Has been through the highs and lows of the Champions League qualification process four times already.
Maribor provided him with his first European ties but the memories of Astana and Hapoel Beer Sheva will be much sweeter.
Scott Bain is waiting in the wings to provide a real challenge this season which will help ensure that Gordon remains in top form.
JACK HENDRY
It’s a massive step up for the defender, a year ago he was hoping to establish himself at Dundee, now he finds himself covering for a World Cup right-back in the top club competition.
Hendry came on as a substitute at Ibrox and Pittodrie last season and made an important contribution to those victories.
Right side of a back three suits him better than right-back, as Kris Ajer demonstrated you have to make the most of any opportunity regardless of the circumstances.
KRIS AJER
Enjoyed incredible success in the first half of 2018 which extended his season into the international arena.
Astana away was a very difficult evening but he is better prepared than ever for this sort of challenge and has responded positively to everything thrown his way.
His big chance came on the back of the 4-0 defeat away to Hearts in December, he took the place of Jozo Simunovic who is likely to be his defensive partner in Armenia.
JOZO SIMUNOVIC
Now starting his fourth season at Celtic bit not really much further forward in his career compared to the day that he arrived.
Last season virtually came to a halt after being sent off at Ibrox but the good news is that Willie Collum and Douglas Ross won’t be involved in Armenia.
Erik Sviatchenko’s transfer and international demands on Dedryck Boyata have given Jozo another chance at Celtic- there may not be another any time soon.
KIERAN TIERNEY
Appears to be unaffected by the Everton speculation and is now our most experienced defender!
KT enjoyed to the full the post Hapoel Beer Sheva celebrations and knows fully what reaching the group phase means to supporters.
He had a month off to recover from last season’s exertions, Rodgers will be relying on him greatly over the coming weeks- a situation that he is likely to relish.
JAMES FORREST
After seeing off Paddy Roberts he now has Mikey Johnston and Lewis Morgan looking for a slice of the action.
Over the two seasons that Rodgers has been in charge Forrest has been one of the most consistent performers with a purple patch hit last season centred around an outstanding display at home to Bayern Munich.
His pace can hurt any side but the heat of Armenia will be a tough test as he plans another successful Champions League qualifying campaign.
SCOTT BROWN
The hint of an injury to the skipper and suddenly the squad doesn’t seem as well stocked as we had imagined.
Without Broony last season Celtic toiled domestically, perhaps highlighting an over reliance on the skipper.
He has been over the course a dozen times and more, ensuring his fitness over the next eight weeks is critical to Celtic’s hopes of striking another Champions League windfall.
OLIVIER NTCHAM
Joined up exactly a year ago and already knows the importance to the entire club of navigating through the qualifiers.
He was outstanding in both matches against Astana last season then turned around a nightmare first 30 minutes in Anderlecht into a masterclass after setting up the opening goal.
The Frenchman seems to embrace responsibility, his growing partnership with Brown is one of the strengths of the team.
CALLUM MCGREGOR
Looks to have effortlessly picked up on the form that he finished last season in, as highlighted by Saturday’s double against Shamrock Rovers.
Four years ago Ronny Deila handed him a debut in Iceland, he scored the only goal of the game and has demonstrated a great eye for goal in European matches ever since.
With his close control he is capable of drifting inside or into attack and enjoys a great rapport with the overlapping KT down the left.
ODSONNE EDOUARD
A twin French strike force carries plenty of options and attacking threat.
Edouard’s greater mobility makes him a natural to get involved in more legwork but that is most likely to be alongside Dembele rather than behind him Rogic style.
A year ago Rodgers was unsure of the merits of having a third striker, Edouard’s form last season convinced the hoops boss that the the Frenchman was worth spending a club record transfer fee on.
MOUSSA DEMBELE
Has been used sparingly in the qualifiers over the last two seasons but is primed for action this time around.
In the last two pre-season matches he showed that he is clicking through the pre-season gears and is ready to hit form when most required.
There was a feeling last season that he never quite caught fire, with a proper pre-season and big role in the qualifiers the u-21 internationalist can recapture the exploits of his first season at Celtic.