| CELTIC F.C. NEWSROOM |

(SOURCE = PLANET FOOTBALL) Milan winger Massimo Donati is 'very interested' in joining Celtic and is due to hold talks with the SPL champions this week.

Donati is looking to leave the UEFA Champions League winners over the summer after struggling to make an impact in Carlo Ancelotti's plans.

He has been linked with a £3million switch to Celtic and Donati's agent Andrea D'Amico confirmed the player is keen on a move to Parkhead.

"I can confirm Massimo and I are planning to hold a meeting with Celtic representatives in the middle of the week," D'Amico told the Daily Record.

"We do not know yet where those discussions will take place, but we are both prepared to fly to London or Scotland.

"Massimo is very interested in the Celtic proposal and he is seriously considering that option and he wants to hear what they have to say."

Atalanta, with whom he spent last season, Palermo, Sampdoria and Torino are all reportedly hoping to keep Donati in Serie A, but D'Amico admits the offer of Champions League football with Celtic is tempting.

He added: "The prospect of Champions League football is exciting for any player.

"Massimo is no different as he wants to play at the highest levels in the game."

(SOURCE = PLANET FOOTBALL) Sampdoria midfielder Gennaro Delvecchio has claimed he could help Celtic to dominate Scottish football.

Delvecchio has been linked with a £3million move to Celtic, who are also reportedly chasing Milan winger Massimo Donati.

Palermo are also keen on Delvecchio and the player has predicted he would make a major impact at Parkhead, if Celtic agree a deal.

"If I move to Celtic this summer I would help them become bigger and stronger and dominate Scottish football," Delvecchio told the Scottish Daily Express.

"Celtic have already shown they can compete in the Champions League, but I think I could take them further down that road."

Meanwhile, Maciej Zurawski (pictured) does not feel the increased competition for a place in Celtic's attack will lead to his departure over the summer.

Of the rumours, Zurawski said: "I know nothing about this. Nobody at the club gave me a reason to feel myself unnecessary.

"I do not intend to go anywhere and I am not afraid of the competition from the newly-signed strikers.

"The fact that the club is strengthening does not mean that someone wants to get rid of Zurawski. There will be a strong competition and this is nothing strange.

"My second season at Celtic was plagued by injuries and I scored only 10 goals.

"I agree that this was not a good season, but it was not a catastrophic one. I was still among the club's top goalscorers."

(SOURCE = PLANET FOOTBALL) Thomas Gravesen's agent is unaware of any offers for the Celtic midfielder, and would prefer the rumours surrounding him to stop.

Gravesen was frozen out by Gordon Strachan towards the end of last season and his future with the SPL champions is uncertain.

Sheffield United and Sunderland have both been linked with the former Everton and Real Madrid man, who still has two years to run on his Celtic deal.

However Gravesen's representative John Sivebaek insists he does not know of any bids tabled for the 31-year-old.

Gravesen wants to see out the remaining two years on his contract at Parkhead and Sivebaek has called for the uncertainty to end.

"It's never good to have so much speculation about your future in the media, but he can't do anything about it," Sivebaek said.

"But Thomas has two years left on his contract and he would love to be at Celtic for that time but you never know in football.

"However, I have not heard anything about any bids, you would have to ask Celtic because the bids will go to them first."

Nakamura happy at Celtic, says agent

28  June  2007

	Shunsuke Nakamura, Photo courtesy Yumiko Shinoda

GLASGOW: Japan international midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura is happy at Scottish double winners Celtic, despite claims from an Italian agent claiming the player could use a get-out clause in his contract.

 

Italian agent Angelo Massoni claimed there could be a one million pounds (2 million dollars) get-out clause in Nakamura's contract, which he signed last summer, and stated that four giants of world football wanted to sign him.

 

However Celtic have now rubbished Massoni's suggestion, and the 29-year-old's agent Robert Takuda said Nakamura is settled in the west of Scotland.

 

In a statement on their website, www.celticfc.net, the club said: "Celtic can state categorically that there is absolutely no 'get-out clause' in Shunsuke Nakamura's contract."

 

Massoni does not represent Nakamura, who joined the Scottish champions from Reggina two years ago and completed a clean sweep of Scotland's player of the year awards last season.

 

Takuda confirmed: "I would like to stress that these reports about Naka are complete nonsense.

 

"Naka is currently preparing for the Asian Cup but straight after this, is very much looking forward to returning to Celtic.

 

"He and his family are very happy at Celtic and very happy in Glasgow. He has no reason to go anywhere else."

Celtic 0-0 Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock managed to keep a clean sheet at Celtic Park Celtic began the defence of their Premier League title with an uninspired draw at home to Kilmarnock. Gordon Strachan's side were in the ascendancy throughout but lacked the creative spark to unlock Killie's well-organised defence. John Kennedy and Maciej Zurawski were guilty of close range misses and Killie keeper Alan Combe had to tip away a last-minute effort from Scott Brown. Kilmarnock rarely threatened but Simon Ford wasted a good headed chance.   It has been almost nine years since the Ayrshire outfit picked up a league point at Celtic Park. And a positive result for the visitors looked unlikely as the champions started strongly. Celtic wasted no time getting forward and midfielder Paul Hartley slammed a shot high over the crossbar with less than a minute played. Aiden McGeady was looking lively and his deep cross to the back post found Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink unmarked but the big Dutchman could only volley back across goal and wide from six yards. In the 16th minute Killie enjoyed a rare break forward, with Steven Naismith putting Allan Johnston through on goal. However, the veteran midfielder did not have the legs to escape, allowing Celtic right-back Mark Wilson to get in a saving tackle on the edge of the penalty area. With the rain pouring down, Celtic were getting bogged down as the visitors put up stubborn resistance. A loose ball broke to Brown in a congested penalty box but the summer signing failed to connect properly and the ball bounced wide. Massimo Donati then split the Killie defence with a neat pass but Zurawski's shot on the stretch from 14 yards was gathered by Combe. With a minute of the first half remaining, the ball fell kindly to Kennedy and the Celtic defender hurried his shot to blast over the top. The second period was only a minute old when Hartley's looping header had to be tipped away by Combe. There was then a let-off for the home side when Colin Nish was allowed to hook the ball into the danger zone and the unmarked Ford headed over from five yards. Celtic immediately raced up the park and Combe made a great diving save to keep out Zurawski's stabbed effort. And when the ball broke back to the Poland international he somehow fired wide from inside the six-yard box. Celtic stepped up the pace in the closing minutes and Combe had to look lively to get fingertips to a Brown shot that was looping towards the top corner via the turf. And the visiting keeper was relieved to see a Kennedy header fly straight into his arms in stoppage time. Celtic: Mark Brown, Wilson, Kennedy, McManus, Naylor, Hartley, Donati (Nakamura 63), Scott Brown, McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Zurawski (Killen 63). Subs Not Used: McGovern, Caldwell, Miller, Sno, O'Dea. Booked: Naylor, McGeady, Kennedy. Kilmarnock: Combe, Fowler (Dodds 31), Lilley, Wright, Hay (Gibson 50), Naismith, Ford, O'Leary, Hamill, Johnston (Fernandez 83), Nish. Subs Not Used: Harpur, Di Giacomo, Skora, Koudou. Booked: O'Leary, Nish, Naismith. Att: 60,000 Ref: C Thomson

Scott McDonald set to make Celtic debut

Scott McDonald is poised to make his Scottish Premier League debut for Celtic on Sunday after starring in the club's mid-week Champions League qualifier.

The Australian striker, who missed the first two games of the SPL season through suspension, set-up Paul Hartley's vital away goal in Russia on Wednesday as the Scottish giants claimed an impressive 1-1 draw with Spartak Moscow.

Celtic will host Spartak in the return leg on August 29, with the winner booking a place in the Champions League group phase.

Before then, McDonald - who secured a dream STG750,000 ($A1.87 million) transfer from Motherwell to Celtic, the club he supported as a boy, during the off-season - is expected to get his first taste of SPL football with the hoops away to Aberdeen on Sunday.

"He has been a star for us in the pre-season preparations," manager Gordon Strachan said of McDonald, who was left out of the Socceroos squad for last month's Asian Cup campaign to concentrate on his club duties.

McDonald impressed on the artificial surface in Moscow, setting up Hartley's headed goal with a pin-point cross midway through the first half.

"I haven't had much experience at this level and I just said to myself `do what you do best'," McDonald said.

"That's what the manager wanted from me, to work hard and see what came of it.

"It's a great result ... it puts us in a great position, but there is still a massive job to be done."

Strachan's side already find themselves two points behind Old Firm rivals Rangers, after drawing 0-0 at home to Kilmarnock in the opening day.

But their 4-1 win over Falkirk last week, coupled with the result in Moscow, has renewed their confidence of holding on to their SPL title.

Falkirk manager John Hughes has promised to put Rangers' impressive run of five clean sheets to the test in Saturday's match at Ibrox.

Rangers have played three Champions League qualifiers and two SPL matches this season - winning all five without conceding a goal.

This weekend they will be hot favourites to continue their winning streak when they host Falkirk.

But Hughes has promised his side will not be turning up just to make up the numbers.

"I've been manager here for five years and have never gone into a game concentrating only on defence," he said.

"The players we have like to express themselves and will have a go. We've had success doing this before so we won't be changing it for Rangers."

Also on Saturday, Hearts host Gretna, Dundee United are at home to Hibernian, Motherwell face Kilmarnock, and St Mirren take on Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

McSocceroo Celtic striker Scott McDonald is dreaming of opening his goalscoring account in the crucial Champions League qualifier against Spartak Moscow.

The Australia international signed from Motherwell for £700,000 in the close season but his Celtic career was put on hold as he served a two-game ban carried over from his time at Fir Park.

McDonald set up Paul Hartley to score the opener against Spartak in the 1-1 draw in the Luzhniki stadium a fortnight ago.

But he has yet to find the net himself and could not grab any of the five goals Celtic scored against Hearts at Parkhead on Saturday.

The 24-year-old believes the second leg against Spartak will be the ideal time to get off the mark.

He said: "I feel I am getting better with each game.

"We had a couple of games pre-season, then it was stop-start because I was suspended.

"But the goals will come, I'm quite confident of that.

"Obviously it was frustrating not getting on the score-sheet against Hearts, I think I probably did everything else apart from getting a goal.

"It would be nice to open my account tomorrow night if selected and I hope that it does happen."

The former Motherwell player will be playing his first European tie in front of a 60,000 Parkhead crowd.

But the little striker, a boyhood Celtic fan, has sampled the European atmosphere in the east end of the city on numerous occasions.

He said: "It will be my first European night (as a player) at Celtic Park and I will be expecting a special occasion.

"I used to come to European ties and in particular, I remember I was here when Celtic played Shakhtar Donetsk.

"The fans get right behind the team and the atmosphere is something memorable and hopefully that's the case again tomorrow night."

Celtic need only a goalless draw to go through to the group stages but McDonald insists the SPL champions will play their normal attacking game.

He said: "We go out to score goals in every game and we won't be sitting back to play for a 0-0 draw.

"That's not like us, we are an attacking team and we are at home.

"The fans will be willing us to go forward and try to score and that's what we want to do."

Celtic vs. Spartak Moscow Match Review

Goalkeeper Artur Boruc was the Celtic hero as the SPL champions made it through to the group stages of the Champions League with a penalty shootout win over Spartak Moscow.

A first leg 1-1 draw in the Russian capital left the tie delicately poised for the return in Glasgow, which started amid a cauldron of noise.

Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink both threatened with headers in the opening minutes, before Boruc made a smart save to deny Welliton.

With 25 minutes played Spartak should have gone ahead, but Roman Pavluchenko struck a post from the penalty spot after Gary Caldwell had been adjudged to have handled in the area.

Two minutes later the Bhoys were ahead as McDonald pounced to bury his effort past Stipe Pletikosa from 12 yards after a mistake by Radoslav Kovac However, right on half-time it was all-square again as Pavluchenko made up for his earlier failure by netting following Mozart's corner in from the right.

The second half saw the SPL champions force the pace, but Shunsuke Nakamura and McDonald both spurned chances to secure a place in the group stages.

Six minutes from time Spartak were reduced to ten men as Martin Stranzl was dismissed for a professional foul on Vennegoor of Hesselink, but the full-time whistle came soon after to bring on extra-time.

A tense extra half-an-hour saw few chances for either side, but the Bhoys were handed an opportunity to seal the tie six minutes from time when Kovac handled, but Vennegoor of Hesselink blazed his penalty against the crossbar.

However, the Dutchman was rescued in the shootout as Boruc saved from Egor Titov and Maxim Kalinichenko to ensure a 4-3 success for Gordon Strachan's side.

Celtic: Artur Boruc, Lee Naylor (Darren O'Dea 110), Gary Caldwell, Stephen McManus, Mark Wilson, Scott McDonald (Maciej Zurawski 97), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Aiden McGeady (Derek Riordan 104),

 

Subs not used: Evander Sno, Chris Killen, Paul Hartley, Mark Brown

Booked: Derek Riordan 119, Gary Caldwell 29

Spartak Moscow: Pletikosa, Shishkin, Stranzl, Soava, Welliton (Dedura 88), Pavluychenko,

Subs not used: Dzyuba, Sabitov, Khomich, Geder

Booked: Shishkin 84, Torbinsky 100

Sent off: Stranzl 85

Attendance: 65000