"We're definitely running out of matches, no question about it." Martin O'Neill used that line to frame Celtic's Europa League position ahead of Thursday's home game against Beşiktaş. Celtic have lost their last three European matches and sit 35th in the competition table with 0 points from 3 games and a goal difference of -6. The scale of the task is obvious enough without any embellishment.

Celtic's unsettled XI

O'Neill has also been clear that he still does not know his best side. "No, I keep getting asked this question and until I know exactly what everyone can do at the football club then I probably won't know that," he told BBC Sport, which fits the wider issue around selection.

Thursday comes too soon for winger Yang Hyun-jun, and O'Neill says several summer arrivals and recovering players still have not had a proper opportunity. He added that Celtic are "rotating a bit as well to try and save some legs", which is hardly ideal when the margin for error is already so thin.

Their domestic form has not been disastrous, but it has not offered much comfort either. Celtic have won just 3 of their last 5 matches in all competitions, including a 2-0 defeat away to Falkirk and a 2-2 home draw with Dundee Utd.

Beşiktaş bring a stronger position

There is also the opposite case. Beşiktaş are 8th in the Europa League table with 7 points from 3 games and a goal difference of +4, so they arrive with a healthier European start than Celtic.

That is why the arguments around Thursday matter. Liam Scales has suggested it is not a must-win game, and O'Neill has not gone that far either, but his own words are tougher than that reading. "We need to get off the mark at some stage," he said, and then added, "So if we go on for a fourth one then that would be a world record. We're definitely running out of matches, no question about it, but we are capable of still qualifying."

Celtic vs Beşiktaş now looks like the kind of game Celtic need to handle properly, because another defeat would leave them with very little room left in the group stage.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →