Celtic turn their attention to Europe as they welcome Turkish side Beşiktaş to Celtic Park.
A Brief History
Beşiktaş, founded in 1903, are a Turkish side based in Istanbul. The Turkish giants have won thirty-eight major domestic trophies, which include sixteen league trophies. Their nickname, Kara Kartallar (The Black Eagles), originated from the 1940-41 season, when Beşiktaş were top of the league. A supporter shouted out in praise of the side’s attacking play in a game they won 6-0, “Come on, Black Eagles! Attack, Black Eagles!” And since then, the nickname has stuck.
European Campaign
Beşiktaş have enjoyed a solid start to their European campaign. After three games, the Black Eagles sit on seven points, despite playing tricky opposition. The Turkish side kicked off their campaign with a 4-1 home win over Ligue 1 side Marseille before beating Hoffenheim 3-2 in Germany, courtesy of a strike from Murillo and a second-half brace from former Celtic man Oh. And in their final group game, Beşiktaş played Premier League outfit Crystal Palace in Istanbul and drew 2-2. As a result, Beşiktaş occupy the last of the automatic qualification spots and sit seven points and twenty-two places ahead of Celtic going into Thursday night.
Start to the Season
Beşiktaş kicked off their campaign with six straight wins and six straight clean sheets. The next two games both ended in 1-0 defeats, one in the league and the other in the second leg of the final qualification round for the Europa League, which meant very little as they won the first leg 3-0 the week prior. Beşiktaş responded with four straight wins, scoring fifteen across those matches. And in their last seven matches, they have won 3. It’s safe to say that Vincenzo Italiano’s side have had a very up-and-down start to the season. After ten matches, Beşiktaş sit in fourth place with nineteen points, six points behind league leaders Galatasaray.
Familiar Face
Oh Hyeon-gyu will return to Celtic Park on Thursday night. The South Korean forward played for Celtic between January 2023 and July 2024, where he made forty-seven appearances, scoring twelve goals. The twenty-five-year-old was part of the 2022/23 Celtic team, that won the Premiership, League Cup, and Scottish Cup.
Old Foes
As well as welcoming a former player, two old rivals will return to Glasgow, one of which is Václav Cerny. The Czech winger spent the 2024/25 season at Rangers, where he made a total of fifty-two appearances, netting eighteen times and providing nine assists. The other former rival who will make a return to Glasgow is Ridvan Yilmaz. The Turkish full-back spent three seasons at Rangers between 2022 and 2025, making a total of seventy-seven appearances.
Recognisable Names
Beşiktaş have several recognisable names in their ranks, including former Arsenal star Leandro Trossard. The Belgian winger made one hundred and seventy-four appearances for Arsenal between January 2023 and June 2026, netting thirty-six times, with one of those coming against West Ham in a game which guided Arsenal to their first Premier League title in twenty-two years. The thirty-one-year-old has made a total of fifty-nine senior appearances for Belgium, finding the net on fourteen occasions. So far at Beşiktaş, Trossard has netted twice and provided one assist in thirteen games, with one of those goals coming in Beşiktaş’ last match, which ended in a 2-2 draw against Kasımpaşa, in a game that Dušan Vlahović also netted in.
Dušan Vlahović is another big name turning up at Celtic Park tonight. The Serbian striker made one hundred and sixty-eight appearances for Juventus, where he scored sixty-eight goals. So far this season, the twenty-six-year-old has seven goals in twelve games, with all seven coming in domestic action.
Wilfred Ndidi made three-hundred-and-three appearances for Leicester City between January 2017 and August 2025 after joining from Belgian outfit Genk. The midfielder, during his time in the East Midlands, played ninety minutes in the 2020/21 FA Cup Final against Chelsea, which Leicester won 1-0, the Community Shield in 2021/22, where he once again played the full ninety in a 1-0 win, and was part of the side that won the 2023/24 Championship title.
