The pre-season is not far away. It is remarkable how quickly things can move, especially in a World Cup year. Soon enough, Celtic need to start laying down plans for the upcoming campaign.

It looks like Martin O'Neill is set to become the next manager of the club. At the same time, they will need to bring in some quality players as well.

Pre-season is going to be important. Celtic might have won the double last season. But the performances were nowhere near good enough. Neither were the results.

They scored less, conceded more and only managed five more points than in the 20/21 season.

O'Neill has already indicated that he has been studying modern tactics and might have a few new ideas to implement in pre-season.

Of course, Celtic are already putting plans in place for their pre-season. And the first match has already been announced. They are set to have a glamour friendly at Parkhead.

The club have officially announced that they will be welcoming AC Milan to Celtic Park next month. The Scottish champions will take on the Serie A giants at Parkhead on Saturday, July 25, at 3 pm.

Celtic and AC Milan met quite often in Europe over the years. For Hoops fans, the most memorable of those contests might be the 2-1 win at Parkhead, thanks to Scott McDonald’s last-minute goal.

READ MORE: Celtic Tipped to Sign 17-Goal Forward from Scottish Rivals

Obviously, there are not going to be those stakes in a pre-season friendly. But it is still a Parkhead afternoon to look forward to.

It will also give O'Neill a good chance to have a look at where his team stands, try out new tactics and hopefully give a few new signings a run out at Parkhead as well.

This season cannot be like the 25/26 campaign. While the thrilling fashion of the title triumph might have been one to remember for years to come, Celtic fans will want to see the team return to their dominant selves again.

Europe is also going to be important. The club cannot make the same mistake of waiting around for Champions League qualifiers to be paid before making half of their signings.

That has cost them time and again over the years, including last season. It is hard to remember the last time they were able to make it through the Champions League qualifiers, to be honest. The three times they have played in the competition, it was through automatic qualification by means of winning the Scottish Premiership.

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