Celtic v Kairat: Brendan Rodgers names starting team for first leg of Champions League play-off

Brendan Rodgers has named his starting line-up as Celtic prepare to take on Kairat in the first leg of their Champions League play-off.

The Kazakh side are in Glasgow to take on the Hoops for a place in Europe’s top competition.

Celtic have started the season well with three wins from their opening games of the campaign.

The Scottish champions have defeated St Mirren and Aberdeen in the Premiership and Falkirk in the League Cup, scoring seven goals and only conceding one in the process.

However, Kairat will represent their biggest test yet and they will be wanting a healthy lead to take to the away leg which will see them travel further east than Afghanistan.

In addition to the prestige of Champions League football, they will earn around £50m if they reach the lucrative eight-game league phase of the tournament.

Celtic got past the league phase last season as they reached the knockout phase of the competition for the first time in 12 years.

And they will be aiming to reach at least as far again this campaign, but first they will have to get past Kairat, and a good home performance could be vital to their chances.

Rodgers has started with Kasper Schmiechel in goals behind a back four of Alistair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, and Kieran Tierney.

Captain Callum McGregor anchors a three-man midfield alongside Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren with James Forrest and Daizen Maeda either side of Adam Idah up front.