CELTIC warmed up for the visit of Kazakh side Kairat Almaty this week with a comfortable 4-1 League Cup win over Falkirk at Celtic Park on Friday night.
The victory ensures Celtic progress to the quarter-finals of the competition, where they will visit the Scottish Championship's bottom side, Partick Thistle.
It also means they head into Wednesday's Champions League playoff round first leg against the Kazakh champions with a victory, having won their opening three games of the campaign.
Manager Brendan Rodgers suggested that once again applying pressure from the off would be key if Celtic are to capitalise on their home advantage over Kairat in the first leg.
"Every game, the opening five minutes is very important for us. That's something we want to bring to the game on Wednesday," he told Celtic TV after the Falkirk victory.
"Being at home in the first leg, you want to bring an advantage away with you.
"If we play like that, put in that performance, we can have a really good opportunity to take a lead away with us."
Changes
No doubt with an eye on Wednesday, Rodgers made several changes to his starting line-up for the Falkirk match.
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and central defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales, who had all started both previous matches this season, were replaced by Viljami Sinisalo, Austin Trusty and youngster Dane Murray.
In midfield, Benjamin Nygren and Reo Hatate — who both scored in the 2-0 win at Aberdeen last weekend — dropped to the bench for Arne Engels and Luke McCowan.
Meanwhile, Johnny Kenny replaced fellow Irishman Adam Idah up front.
The changes didn't affect Celtic's fluency, with Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney and Kenny all testing former Celtic keeper Scott Bain early on with long-range efforts.
Defender Dane Murray celebrated signing a new contract with his first goal for the club (Image: MacNicol / Getty Images)Engels then rattled the post with a free kick from the edge of the box before Tierney cushioned a header into the path of Daizen Maeda to nod home after 25 minutes to break the deadlock.
That sparked Falkirk into action and Calvin Miller immediately tested Sinisalo at the other end with a stinging shot that had to be turned round the post, while Alfredo Agyeman and Ross MacIver also tested the keeper.
After the break, James Forrest almost scored for the 17th consecutive season with a shot that Bain had to parry wide.
However, Alistair Johnston did double the lead on 53 minutes with a well-placed effort after Miller coughed up possession on the edge of the box.
Murray then celebrated signing a new contract earlier that day with his first goal for the club, turning in Engels' header.
Liam Henderson turned a cross from Celtic substitute Yang Hyun-Jun past his own keeper to make it 4-0, before Keelan Adams grabbed a consolation for the visitors.
Kazakh opposition
While Rodgers will be hopeful of more signings before the transfer window shuts, he revealed his delight at how the incoming players fared against the Bairns.
"The guys coming in know the structure. They know we play and they train at a very high level so it allows them to be intense when they come in," he told Celtic TV.
"I'm really pleased for all the guys, they added great value to the team."
Kairat Almaty tasted defeat in their league game with Yelimay on Saturday, letting a two-goal lead slip at home to lose 3-2.
The Kazakh league leaders have already played three two-legged qualifying rounds in the Champions League this season, seeing off Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava in the last round.
Celtic have never lost a tie against Kazakh opposition but have yet to win an away game.
They won 3-2 on aggregate against Shakter Karagandy in a 2013/14 Champions League playoff after losing the first leg 2-0 in Kazakhstan.
After drawing 1-1 against Astana in the third qualifying round of the Champions League in 2016/17, Celtic progressed with a 2-1 win at home in the second leg.
Meanwhile, a 5-0 romp against the same opposition in a 2017/18 Champions League playoff first leg was followed by a 4-3 defeat at the Astana Arena a week later.
Astana pulled the tie back to 6-4 on aggregate midway through the second half of the second leg, before late goals from Olivier Ntcham and Leigh Griffiths sealed the tie.
Rodgers will be hoping his side can again build up a healthy first-leg lead before the 9,000-mile round trip the following week.
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