Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen face tough group stage tests as Scottish clubs eye crucial European points

Scottish clubs are back in European action on Thursday as Celtic, Rangers, and Aberdeen face intriguing and exciting clashes in UEFA competition.

Celtic host Braga as Rangers travel to Austria to take on Sturm Graz in the Europa League, while Aberdeen begin their Conference League campaign with the visit of Shakhtar Donetsk.

Celtic v Braga

Kelechi Iheanacho's goal in Belgrade earned Celtic their first Europa League point. — Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal in Belgrade earned Celtic their first Europa League point. SNS Group

Brendan Rodgers saw his side kick off their Europa League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Red Star in Belgrade, but now aims to take advantage of back-to-back home games for Celtic to “impose” themselves on the competition.

When Braga take to the pitch in Glasgow’s east end for Thursday’s early kick-off, the Scottish champions will be facing a side who are struggling for form and desperate for a result to get their season back on track.

The Portuguese side is under the management of former Manchester City assistant Carlos Vicens, who rose from youth team coach to become one of Pep Guardiola’s right-hand men at the Emirates.

Vicens was well backed in the summer window, with the club bringing in Barcelona striker Pau Victor and Norsjaelland midfielder Mario Dorgeles for fees reported to be around £10m, in addition to other new faces that included Gustav Lagerbielke from Celtic.

Europa League qualification went smoothly, but in domestic competition, after two early wins, things have not gone well. Braga are without a win from their last five games, and a home defeat to Nacional on Sunday left the team in seventh position.

The team’s 1-0 win over Feyenoord on Europa matchday one does suggest Braga can lift their game for the big occasion, but Rodgers will be hoping for the same from his own team.

After their Champions League exit and the well-documented off-field issues, Celtic have been unbeaten but have yet to fully hit their stride. A win in front of their own fans and a hugely important three points on a European night would be just the thing as the manager looks to get his side motoring.

Sturm Graz v Rangers

Max Aaron's late, late winner against Livingston gave Rangers a boost ahead of their trip to Graz. — Max Aaron’s late, late winner against Livingston gave Rangers a boost ahead of their trip to Graz. SNS Group

Rangers supporters have seen plenty of games they would rather forget this season, and last Thursday’s Europa League opener against Genk is undoubtedly one of them.

The humiliating Champions League exit to Club Brugge had some consolation for fans that the team would be competing at a level in Europe where they had enjoyed success in recent years, but seeing Genk create chance after chance at Ibrox, and former Celtic striker Oh scoring the goal that delivered defeat, was another painful moment.

Russell Martin saw his side bounce back with a last-gasp win over Livingston, only to hear supporters’ repeated calls for him to leave, but the head coach has been determined to push on and is optimistic he can still deliver success.

A positive result and good performance seem essential to his chances of building support, with another defeat only likely to ramp the pressure up further, but Martin will know his side face a tough night in Austria.

Sturm Graz also began their Europa League campaign with defeat, losing 2-0 at Midtjylland, but the reigning Bundesliga champions are in much better shape overall. They sit just two points behind SK Rapid at the top of the table but hold a game in hand.

Ahead of the match, the team has been boosted by the return of Georgian playmaker and current top scorer Otar Kiteishvili, while Norwegian forward Seedy Jatta and Slovenian midfielder Tomi Horvat are two more players Rangers have to be careful of.

Martin has selection decisions to make as Mohamed Diomande is suspended following the red card against Genk, while Jayden Meghoma and Derek Cornelius are injury concerns for the Rangers head coach.

There is also a decision to be made over the starting striker, with Martin having alternated between Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti in the last week.

Regardless of the starting line-up, the travelling Rangers support will hope for a better performance than they have grown used to seeing this season, and a result that can get their first points of the League Phase on the board.

Aberdeen v Shakhtar Donetsk

Jimmy Thelin is under pressure but eyeing a Conference League lift. SNS Group

The Scottish Cup triumph that ended last season for Aberdeen seems a long time ago, and as the Dons begin the Conference League campaign, that’s a consequence of the Hampden win; the feel-good factor from May has evaporated.

Bottom of the league and without a Premiership win, out of the Premier Sports Cup and with a cup victory at Morton the only win since Hampden, Jimmy Thelin does not have his troubles to seek.

Though a change of shape led to an improved preformance against Motherwell brought a much better performance, it still ended in defeat and piled more pressure on the Swedish manager. Now he faces a much tougher task against a team that has already been marked down as one of the favourites to win the Conference League.

Shakhtar Donetsk have been displaced from their homeland since Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, moving further west to other Ukrainian cities and playing European matches in Poland and Germany. The impact of that hasn’t affected the team’s ability to impress, as they have racked up six league titles and six domestic cups in the last decade, as well as some impressive results in UEFA competition.

This season shows they are still in good form, with a two-point lead over Dynamo Kyiv at the top of the table, and an unbeaten start to the campaign. Other than a penalty shoot-out defeat to Panathinaikos in Champions League qualifying, Shakhtar haven’t lost since April.

The squad is a mixture of Eastern European talent and Brazilian attacking flair, with experienced captain and centre-back Mykola Matvienko among the stand-outs. Promising teenage striker Kau Elias is one of 12 Brazilians in the squad.

Elias was on the scoresheet as Shakhtar defeated Servette to reach this stage, with his compatriot Kevin scoring the other goal in Switzerland.

The team has already drawn in Athens and won 4-2 against Besiktas in Istanbul this season. If Thelin and Aberdeen can find a way to inflict defeat on a talented side that travels well, it could be the turning point they need after a difficult start and make for a memorable night at Pittodrie.