Celtic Launch League Cup Campaign Under Martin O’Neill

Martin O’Neill is back on the touchline tonight as Celtic launch their League Cup campaign away to Dundee United – and he has wasted no time freshening up a winning side.

Fresh from last weekend’s emphatic 5-1 SPFL victory at Kilmarnock, O’Neill makes four changes for the trip to Tannadice. Liam Scales, Sebastian Tounekti, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Colby Donovan are drafted into the starting XI, with Arne Engels, Alistair Johnston, Kieran Tierney and Yang dropping out from the team that started at Rugby Park.

The reshuffle gives Celtic a slightly different feel. Donovan comes in on the right side of the back line, while Scales returns to bolster the defence. Oxlade-Chamberlain is handed a place in midfield alongside captain Callum McGregor, adding Premier League-honed experience to the centre of the park, and Tounekti is trusted to bring pace and direct running higher up the pitch.

There is intrigue on the bench as well. New Bhoys Haissem and Hassan are both included among the substitutes, joined by Mika Baur, who completed his move to the champions earlier in the week. All three will be eager for a first taste of competitive action in green and white.

Celtic line up as follows:

CELTIC: Sinisalo; Donovan, Trusty, Carter-Vickers, Scales; McGregor, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Nygren, Durán, Tounekti, Høgh.
Subs: Doohan, McCowan, Hassan, Osmand, Baur, Hatate, Murray, Forrest, Tierney.

Kick-off at Tannadice is at 5.45pm on Saturday, August 15, 2026, as Celtic look to turn a dominant league performance into the start of another serious tilt at silverware.