Overview
- Celtic open away to Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday at 8pm UK time on TNT Sports 2, with Rangers facing Genk at Ibrox on Thursday at 8pm on the same channel.
- Brendan Rodgers said Celtic must move on from qualifying disappointment and backed 19-year-old right-back Colby Donovan to start, as Anthony Ralston returned to training but may lack full fitness.
- Red Star enter in strong domestic form after a derby win over Partizan, though they also fell out of Champions League qualifying to Pafos and are expected to provide a hostile test in Belgrade.
- Rangers pursue momentum after a League Cup quarter-final win over Hibs, with ongoing supporter unrest following a poor league start and a heavy Champions League play-off defeat to Club Brugge.
- Genk travel to Glasgow on a downturn—third bottom in Belgium after a late 2-1 loss to Union Saint-Gilloise—with manager Thorsten Fink calling the tie a free hit, while ex-Rangers and Genk player Thomas Buffel warned Ibrox can be an intimidating venue.