The 2018–19 season was Celtic's 130th season of competitive football. They competed in the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup, League Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. Celtic won all three domestic tournaments, completing an unprecedented treble.
Pre-season and friendlies Celtic preceded the 2018–19 campaign with a pre-season tour of Austria, with matches against SK Vorwärts Steyr, Bohemians 1905, Blau-Weiß Linz and Sparta Prague. They also faced Shamrock Rovers and Standard Liège.
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership fixture list was announced on 15 June 2018. Celtic began their title defence against newly promoted Livingston at Celtic Park.
Scottish League Cup
On 29 July, Celtic were drawn to face Partick Thistle at Firhill Stadium in the second round of the 2018–19 Scottish League Cup. The League Cup holders progressed to the quarter-finals with a 3–1 victory over their city rivals. On 19 August, Celtic were drawn to face St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park in the quarter-finals. The Bhoys' trophy defence continued courtesy of a late Leigh Griffiths strike in Perth. On 26 September, Celtic were drawn to face Heart of Midlothian in the semi-finals. Goals from Scott Sinclair, James Forrest and Ryan Christie secured Celtic's place in the final, a third consecutive League Cup final and fifth consecutive domestic cup final in Brendan Rodgers' reign. On 2 December, Celtic won the Scottish League Cup for the third consecutive season, defeating Aberdeen 1–0 in the final.
Scottish Cup
On 24 November, Celtic were drawn to face Airdrieonians at Celtic Park in the fourth round of the 2018–19 Scottish Cup. A Scott Sinclair double and a debut goal for Timothy Weah secured a 3–0 win. On 20 January 2019, Celtic were drawn to face St Johnstone in the fifth round. Scott Sinclair's hat-trick was coupled by Scott Brown's first goal in two years, and a James Forrest strike, which sealed Celtic's place in the quarter-finals. On 11 February, Celtic were drawn to face Hibernian at Easter Road in the quarter-finals. Goals from James Forrest and Scott Brown secured Celtic's place in the semi-finals. On 4 March, Celtic were drawn to face Aberdeen or Rangers in the semi-finals. On 12 March, it was determined that Aberdeen would be Celtic's opponents, having defeated Rangers 2–0 in their quarter-final replay. The Bhoys sealed their place in the final with James Forrest, Odsonne Édouard and Tom Rogic all on the scoresheet.
UEFA Champions League
Celtic entered the Champions League at the first qualifying round.
First qualifying round On 19 June, Celtic were drawn to face Alashkert (Armenia) in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The Bhoys won 3–0 in both legs – courtesy of goals from Odsonne Édouard, James Forrest, Callum McGregor and Moussa Dembélé – and secured a place in the next round.
Second qualifying round On 18 July, it was determined that Celtic would face Rosenborg (Norway) in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The Scottish champions eliminated the Norwegian side in the previous season's qualifying phase and did so again. Goals from Odsonne Édouard and Olivier Ntcham secured Celtic's passage into the next round.
Third qualifying round On 1 August, it was determined that Celtic would face AEK Athens (Greece) in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The Bhoys were eliminated following a 3–2 defeat on aggregate and parachuted into the UEFA Europa League play-off round.
UEFA Europa League
Play-Off round On 16 August, it was determined that Celtic would face Sūduva (Lithuania) in the Play-Off Round of the UEFA Europa League. The Bhoys last faced the Lithuanian side in the 2002–03 UEFA Cup first round; a 10–1 aggregate victory marked the beginning of Celtic's path to the final in Seville.
Group stage On 30 August, the draw for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League group stage was made. Celtic were drawn in Group B along with Red Bull Salzburg (Pot 1), RB Leipzig (Pot 3) and Rosenborg (Pot 4).
Group B
Matches
Round of 32 On 17 December, Celtic were drawn to face Valencia in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League Round of 32.
Statistics
Appearances and goals
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards
! colspan=16 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Departures
Notes
Goalscorers No.Pos.NationNamePremiershipLeague CupScottish CupChampions LeagueEuropa LeagueTotal122FWOdsonne Édouard15 0 3 3 2 23 211MFScott Sinclair9 1 5 1 1 17 49MFJames Forrest11 1 3 2 0 17 317MFRyan Christie9 2 0 0 0 11 49FWLeigh Griffiths2 2 0 0 2 6 21MFOlivier Ntcham3 0 0 1 2 6 42MFCallum McGregor3 0 0 2 1 6 518MFTom Rogic3 1 1 0 0 5 73MFMikey Johnston5 0 0 0 0 5 625FWOliver Burke4 0 0 0 0 4 30FWTimothy Weah3 0 1 0 0 4 710FWMoussa Dembélé0 1 0 2 0 3 8MFScott Brown1 0 2 0 0 3 832DFFilip Benković2 0 0 0 0 2 23DFMikael Lustig2 0 0 0 0 2 5DFJozo Šimunović2 0 0 0 0 2 920DFDedryck Boyata1 0 0 0 0 1 35DFKristoffer Ajer0 0 0 0 1 1 63DFKieran Tierney0 0 0 0 1 1 56DFAnthony Ralston1 0 0 0 0 1 Own goals1 0 0 0 0 1 Total778151110121 Last updated: 25 May 2019
Disciplinary record Includes all competitive matches. Players listed below made at least one appearance for Celtic first squad during the season.
Hat-tricks
Player Against Result Date Competition James Forrest4 St Johnstone6–0 (A)7 October 2018Premiership Scott Sinclair Aberdeen4–3 (A)26 December 2018Premiership Scott Sinclair St Johnstone5–0 (H)10 February 2019Scottish Cup 4 Player scored four goals; (H) – Home; (A) – Away; (N) – Neutral
Clean sheets As of 25 May 2019.
RankNamePremiershipLeague CupScottish CupChampions LeagueEuropa LeagueTotalPlayed Games1 Scott Bain15340022312 Craig Gordon900331532Total2434333763
Attendances
Premiership191,097,78257,77859,14354,563League Cup00000Scottish Cup258,34529,17229,94128,404Champions League3164,60154,86759,04751,184Europa League5262,96152,59257,57844,639Total291,583,68954,60959,14328,404
Team statistics
League table
Competition overview
Results by round
Club
Technical Staff
Kit Supplier: New Balance / Sponsors: Dafabet (front) and Magners (back)
The club is in the fourth year of a deal with manufacturer New Balance. The kit range for the 2018–19 season is inspired by the Bold Bhoys and marks 115 years since the club first used green and white hoops on the jersey.
Home: The home kit features a bespoke tonal tartan design throughout the traditional green and white hoops. White shorts and hooped socks complete the look. Away: The away kit also features a tartan design set against White and Eden Green. The shirt is accompanied by Eden Green shorts and hooped socks. Third: The third kit features a bold black and yellow design and is inspired by the club's famous bumble-bee kits of the past. Black shorts and hooped socks complete the look.
Transfers
In Player From GK Scott Bain Dundee Transfer Summer 2022 Free FW Odsonne Édouard Paris Saint-Germain Transfer Summer 2022 £9,000,000 DF Emilio Izaguirre Al-Fayha Transfer Summer 2019 Free MF Daniel Arzani Manchester City Loan Summer 2020 Loan MF Youssouf Mulumbu Kilmarnock Transfer Summer 2020 Free DF Filip Benković Leicester City Loan Summer 2019 Loan FW Armstrong Oko-Flex Arsenal Transfer Summer 2021 Undisclosed FW Oliver Burke West Bromwich Albion Loan Winter 2019 Loan FW Timothy Weah Paris Saint-Germain Loan Winter 2019 Loan FW Vakoun Bayo Dunajská Streda Transfer Winter 2023 £2,000,000 MF Marian Shved Karpaty Lviv Transfer Winter 2023 £1,700,000 DF Andrew Gutman Indiana Hoosiers Transfer Winter 2022 Undisclosed DF Manny Perez NC State Wolfpack Transfer Winter 2022 Undisclosed DF Jeremy Toljan Borussia Dortmund Loan Winter 2019 Loan
Out Player To MF Charly Musonda Chelsea Loan Cancelled DF Erik Sviatchenko FC Midtjylland Transfer Summer £1,000,000 DF Sam Wardrop Dundee United Transfer Summer Free MF Jamie Lindsay Ross County Transfer Summer Free FW Nadir Çiftçi Gençlerbirliği Contract Terminated Summer Free DF Jamie McCart Inverness CT Transfer Summer Free MF Joe Thomson Dunfermline Athletic Transfer Summer Free MF Stuart Armstrong Southampton Transfer Summer £7,000,000 GK Ross Doohan Ayr United Loan Summer Loan DF Robbie Deas Cowdenbeath Loan Summer Loan FW Ciaran Diver Stranraer Loan Summer Loan DF Calvin Miller Dundee Loan Summer Loan FW Jack Aitchison Dumbarton Loan Summer Loan FW Moussa Dembélé Olympique Lyonnais Transfer Summer £20,000,000 MF Regan Hendry Raith Rovers Loan MF Mark Hill Forfar Athletic Loan FW PJ Crossan Stranraer Loan GK Conor Hazard Partick Thistle Loan Winter Loan FW Jack Aitchison Alloa Athletic Loan Winter Loan MF Lewis Morgan Sunderland Loan Winter Loan MF Marian Shved Karpaty Lviv Loan Winter Loan DF Manny Perez North Carolina FC Loan Winter Loan MF Youssouf Mulumbu Kilmarnock Loan Winter Loan DF Calvin Miller Ayr United Loan Winter Loan DF Andrew Gutman Charlotte Independence Loan Winter Loan FW Ciaran Diver Edinburgh City Loan MF Kundai Benyu Helsingborg Loan MF Mark Hill Charlotte Independence Loan
See also Nine in a row List of Celtic F.C. seasons
References