With season 2025/26 now underway, James Forrest will be looking to write even more silverware, goals and memorable moments in to his Celtic story, which began when he was a youngster coming through th...
With season 2025/26 now underway, James Forrest will be looking to write even more silverware, goals and memorable moments in to his Celtic story, which began when he was a youngster coming through the ranks of the Celtic Academy two decades ago.
The Celtic winger, who made his senior debut in 2010, has not only established himself as a club legend through the years, but also holds the title as Celtic’s most decorated player, with an extraordinary 26 major honours to his name so far.
With the longevity that Forrest has enjoyed comes an incredible amount of experience, and speaking to the media at Celtic Park yesterday, Forrest looked ahead to the upcoming Champions League play-off which he and his teammates will have to overcome to reach the coveted league phase, and he said that he expects a tough test regardless of who the Celts’ opponents are.
Forrest said: “Throughout my time at the club, every season, every game that you play, the pressure is there.
“You feel it even in pre-season games, the pressure that comes with playing for Celtic is massive, that’s how big the club is.
‘We always strive to be the best and it’s really good to be a part of that.’
“The last few years we’ve gone straight in to the Champions League, but I’ve been here when we’ve had to go through qualifiers and this time we’re in the play-off round.
“From my experience, you know that we’ll have two hard games so we need to make sure everyone is up to speed and raring to go for the qualifiers.”
The Hoops will face Aberdeen at Pittodrie this Sunday (August 10, KO: 12.30pm) in a rematch of last season’s Scottish Cup final.
Aberdeen were the winners on the day at Hampden, however just a few weeks before that game, the Celts had recorded a thumping 5-1 victory against the Dons at Pittodrie.
And ahead of Sunday’s match, James Forrest says that Celtic will go to the North-East with the intention of imposing themselves on the game to secure another three points.
He added: “Every time we play Aberdeen, every season when we go up to Pittodrie it’s always a hard game. That kind of rivalry is always there.
“It’s early on in the season so we want to continue our form and keep the momentum going.
“It’s all about us, focusing on ourselves and trying to get the three points.”
More match build-up
- Manager: I'm excited for Sunday's match - read now
- Training Gallery: Aberdeen v Celtic - view now
- Quiz: Aberdeen v Celtic - test your knowledge
Fixtures
Aberdeen Vs. Celtic - Sun, Aug 10th 2025, 12:30
Category: General Sports
