CELTIC will particpate in a four-team friendly tournament in Australia this November.
The trip Down Under will signal a homecoming for Ange Postecoglou, with the Aussie having not been home in his native land for nearly three years.
He will take his Hoops side to take part in the competition while the 2022 World Cup is going on in Qatar.
Like most leagues around the world, the Premiership will go into a five-week shutdown from mid-November to mid-December.
And while the Hoops' international stars will be away strutting their stuff on the world stage, Postecoglou will guide his team in Australia as part of their mid-season break training.
A club statement reads: "Celtic are set to play in a four-team tournament at the end of November as Ange Postecoglou takes his team home to Australia.
"The Hoops boss, who is the most successful manager in Australian football history at both club and international level, will head home with his Celtic squad during the five-week break in domestic football later this year due to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
"Celtic have long had a very strong support base in Australia, which has only been strengthened since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival at the club back in June this year. And Celtic fans in Australia will be delighted to get the opportunity to cheer on the Hoops live in the four-team tournament.
🇦🇺🏟️ 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞'𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠! 🍀#CelticFC are set to play in a four-team tournament at the end of November as Ange Postecoglou takes his team home to Australia.
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) March 1, 2022
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"For the Celtic manager, the trip to Australia will be beneficial to his squad ahead of the resumption of competitive football in the middle of December, while he is also looking forward to returning home."
Ange Postecoglou commented: “I haven’t been home for almost three years by the time this comes around so I’m super-excited.
“It is a homecoming in many respects. That’s where my roots are, that’s where I grew up and I know that since I’ve been in this position at Celtic, people have been following my journey, whether they know me or not, and I’ll have a great sense of pride going back to Australia as manager of Celtic.
“It will be special. The club’s always had a strong connection with Australia, and I know how passionate the supporters’ groups are down there and how they follow the club, whether that’s been with Tommy Rogic or Scotty McDonald, or Jackson Irvine – people who have passed through the club – and now I am manager of the club.
“And I think the Australian public in general will take great pride that one of theirs is in charge of such a famous club.
“We just want to represent this football club and what it’s all about. I’ve understood the responsibility I have for it since I’ve taken on the role, but I just know how passionate people are and the first thing is they’ll want to get to a ground and watch the team play, just to have that feeling.
“It’s enormously important because I don’t take for granted the distance between here and back home, and you need to understand that, for people to be that passionate about a football club that’s halfway around the world – most of them are watching our games in the middle of the night.
“So for them to be able to share it with other people that they follow this club with and watch the team live will be a special moment for them.
“And it will create, I think, a unique atmosphere which only a Celtic crowd can provide. So for Australia sporting followers, they’re realise it’s something special.
“Just being back on home soil and bringing this great football club to my shores will be special.”
A derby match with Rangers has been rumoured, but this has yet to be confirmed.
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