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Scottish treble-winners Celtic are set to face Portimonense in a friendly clash on Wednesday, followed by another match on Saturday. Both games will serve as preparation for Celtic as they enter the post-Ange Postecoglou era.
Portimonense managed to secure their place in the Portuguese top flight for the 2022-23 season, finishing with 34 points from 34 games. They had a brief revival in April, but failed to win any of their last five matches, losing the last three. Portimonense will remain local for their pre-season friendlies with Celtic, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, and Farense.
Celtic, fresh off their Scottish treble win, have already played one warm-up fixture against Fraserburgh. They drew 0-0 before winning 5-3 on penalties. They will be participating in a warm-weather training camp in Portugal before traveling to Japan to face Yokohama F. Marinos and Gamba Osaka. Their next friendly will be against Athletic Bilbao on August 1.
Portimonense have made some reinforcements in attack, including Sylvester Jasper from Fulham and Kim Yong-hak from South Korea. Kim should be available for the match after representing his nation in the Under-20 World Cup, but Park Ji-su and Kosuke Nakamura may need more time to recover from their summer exertions.
Celtic also made some additions to their squad, including Marco Tilio and Odin Thiago Holm. However, they have lost Jota to Al-Ittihad and goalkeeper Vasilios Barkas is now a free agent.
In terms of team news, Portimonense could field a starting lineup consisting of Silvestre in goal, Moufi, Relvas, Pedrao, Lucas, and Seck in defense, Ventura and Estrela in midfield, and Carlinhos, Rochez, and Paulinho in attack. Celtic may line up with Hart in goal, Johnston, Starfelt, Welsh, and Taylor in defense, Holm, McGregor, and Hatate in midfield, and Abada, Furuhashi, and Maeda in attack.
In terms of predictions, Sports Mole expects Celtic to come out on top with a 3-0 victory. Portimonense’s struggles in attack are unlikely to be resolved immediately, and Celtic will likely continue to showcase their attacking principles from Postecoglou’s reign.
Overall, these friendlies will serve as important preparation for both teams as they gear up for the upcoming season.
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