Premier Sports Cup
Sun 21 September, 2025. Kick Off: - 15:30
Wyre Stadium at Firhill, Glasgow
Tickets
All tickets for this fixture are SOLD OUT.
Team News
Celtic loanees Josh Clarke and Ben McPherson are ineligible to face their parent club and therefore won’t feature.
Oisin Smyth appeared for St. Mirren during the Premier Sports Cup group stages but is not cup-tied for the knockout rounds and thus is available for selection.
Zander MacKenzie is expected to return to the matchday squad after missing our game against Airdrieonians with a knock.
Dan MacKay is back running on the training pitch and is scheduled to be available early next month.
Livestream
We’ll be livestreaming this match for our stream subscribers outside of the UK and Ireland.
This game is now available for all of our stream subscribers to add to their account – click HERE to add the game or for more info on how to add games to your account click HERE!
If you aren’t already a stream subscriber, you can purchase a monthly or annual streaming subscription by clicking HERE.
The livestream of this fixture is not available to supporters living within the U.K. and Ireland due to SPFL restrictions.
Aitken Suite and PlayerZone
Due to the Aitken Suite being used as a hospitality space for this match, it will not be open as a supporters’ bar before or after the game.
This also means that there will be no PlayerZone this weekend with the next PlayerZone scheduled to take place on 4th October, following our game against Arbroath.
Partick Thistle exited the Premier Sports Cup at the quarter final stage with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of city rivals Celtic at the Wyre Stadium at Firhill.
Thistle came into the tie looking to end a thirty-year hoodoo against the Old Firm, last beating Celtic in May 1995, whilst booking a trip to Hampden for their first major semi final in 23 years.
It was the first meeting between the two sides since January 2020, with the Hoops last prevailing at Firhill 2-1 in the Scottish Cup.
There were two changes to the side that defeated Airdrieonians last Friday night. Loanees Josh Clarke and Ben McPherson were both ineligible to play against their parent club, with Lewis Budinauckas and Cammy Logan coming into the squad in their place.
After a rousing Tifo display in the John Lambie Stand Celtic had the majority of the ball early on, but Thistle remained defensively stout, despite the early pressure.
The hosts had threatened on breakaways with one such move seeing John Scales yellow carded for hauling Tony Watt to the ground.
Aidan Fitzpatrick threatened as well before Brendan Rodgers’ men made the breakthrough on 26 minutes. Hyunjun Yang cut in from a tight angle to hit home a cross from the left that deflected off the chest of Paddy Reading to give Celtic the lead in confusing circumstances.
Yang opted not to celebrate, leaving the away supporters to think that he had merely hit the side netting however unfortunately the ball trickled into the Thistle net.
Celtic then turned the screw immediately from the restart, going on the offensive in search of a second.
They wouldn’t have to wait long, two minutes, to be precise. Sebastian Tounekti was denied by Budinauckas, eliciting a corner.
From the short corner, Nygren delivers a cross to the near post which was headed over Budinauckas and into the goal via the underside of the bar by Scales to make it 2-0 Celtic on 26 minutes.
Despite the mountain to climb, Thistle didn’t let their heads slip, fighting hard throughout the half. There were a few half chances in the minutes before half time, with Watt causing a scare following a defensive slip up.
Half Time – Partick Thistle 0 Celtic 2
Despite looking dangerous in the first half, Watt would be substituted at half time for Alex Samuel, fresh off his first goal for the Jags against Airdrie.
Less than 120 seconds into the second half, Celtic increased their lead. New signing Tounekti burst forward, before cutting inside. A one-two with Kelechi Iheanacho bamboozled the Thistle back line for long enough to allow Tounekti to hit home for 3-0.
Samuel looked lively when he came on, with the Jags getting more forward in the hope of restoring something of a game to proceedings.
Samuel went close with a nicely-hit effort that sailed inches over the bar, while Ben Stanway got his head to a Chalmers cross. Celtic keeper Sinisalo got himself to the effort at the far post, turning it round the post for a corner.
Kyle Turner, Oisin Smyth and Stevie Lawless would come off the bench to try and inject some life into the tie, but Celtic’s dominant position saw them happy to sit back and soak up any red and yellow pressure.
Aidan Fitzpatrick found himself with a 1-on-1, but the angle was too tight for him to slot home, shooting wide.
Celtic would cap off their win with a fourth goal on 80 minutes. A McBeth stumble saw Celtic dispossess him, setting up Luke McCowan to coolly fire home for 4-0.
Despite the result, the Thistle support did themselves proud. A sell out in both stands, the John Lambie Stand welcomed the side with that incredible tifo dedicated to our 1971 League Cup triumph.
It may not have been the score we wanted, but it was a proud day to be a Jag.
Full Time – Partick Thistle 0 Celtic 4
Partick Thistle return to league action on Saturday, when they make the trip to Fife to take on Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Championship.
Partick Thistle: Lewis Budinauckas; Cammy Logan (Oisin Smyth 54’), Paddy Reading, Lee Ashcroft (Luke McBeth 71’), Dan O’Reilly, Logan Chalmers, Robbie Crawford (Kyle Turner 54’), Aidan Fitzpatrick, Ben Stanway (Stevie Lawless 62’), Ts’oanelo Lets’osa; Tony Watt (Alex Samuel 46’)
Unused Substitutes: Luis Cameron; Zander MacKenzie, Thomas Horn, Matthew Falconer.
Celtic: Viljami Sinisalo, Colby Donovan, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor (Paulo Bernardo 59’), Reo Hatate (Arne Engels 69’), Benjamin Nygren (Luke McCowan 71’), Hyunjun Yang, Sebastian Tounekti (Michel-Ange Balikwisha 59’), Kelechi Iheanacho (Daizen Maeda 59’)
Unused Substitutes: Kasper Schmeichel; Marcelo Saracchi, Dane Murray, James Forrest
Referee: Kevin Clancy
Attendance: 8,817
By David Forrest
50/50 Results
First Prize – £475 – Ticket No. 259366
Second Prize – Chance to take part in Crossbar Challenge – Ticket No. 258982
Sun 21 September, 2025
Premier Sports Cup 
Wyre Stadium at Firhill, Glasgow
Minimum of 1 minute additional time.
Man of the Match: Aidan Fitzpatrick
Crowd: 8,817
Smyth takes the free kick but he can only find the side net.
Lawless is fouled near the edge of the Celtic box.
Maeda's shot is straight at Budinauckas.
That's a little harsh on Thistle who have been decent second half. McCowan rolls a shot beyond Budinauckas after Thistle are careless in possession.
Chalmers and Turner try a short corner routine that doesn't come off.
Samuel just fails to connect with a Chalmers cross.
Thistle come close. Lets'osa picks the ball up in midfield. He finds Lawless whose clever pass gives Fitzaptrick a chance but he shoots wide.
Chalmers flashes a cross across the face of the Celtic goal.
Stanway's header is saved by Sinisalo.
Turner has come on at right back.
Budinauckas gets down smartly to keep out an Iheanacho shot.
Stanway fizzes a shot inches over the Celtic crossbar.
That will kill the game stone dead. Thistle are opened up too easily and Tounekti tucks the ball home.
Early involvement for Samuel who drills in a cross from the right which is cleared.
Half-time change from Thistle.
Thistle trail by two at the break. It's a long way back for Thistle who had their best spell as half-time approached.
Minimum of 1 minute of additional time to be played.
A first time effort from Chalmers goes wide of target.
O'Reilly is able to get his head to the Chalmers corner but Sinisalo gathers.
Chalmers robs Carter-Vickers of the ball and finds Watt to his right. Watt in turns finds Lets'osa whose shot is blocked for Thistle's first corner of the game.
It's only a short-lived reprieve though as Scales heads home from the resultant corner.
Nearly a quickfire second for Celtic but Budinauckas makes a fine stop.
Celtic's pressure finally brings them a reward. A cross to the back post finds Yang and he nods home from close range.
Fitzpatrick goes deep with the free kick and it is clawed away by Sinisalo.
Watt is fouled and Thistle have a free kick near the left handside corner flag.
The corner goes out of play without a touch and Thistle have a goal kick.
The corner is cleared.
The corner is cleared but Celtic pick the ball up again.
Another effort towards the Thistle goal but McGregor's shot is too high.
Celtic on the front foot inside the first minute and a shot clears the Thistle crossbar.
It's an unfamiliar kick-off time but the same anticipation is building ahead of the start of the game as we wait to see if Thistle can reach their first League Cup Semi-Final since 1975.
Head Coach Mark Wilson has kept changes to an absolute minimum.
Neither Josh Clarke and Ben McPherson are able to play against their parent club and their direct replacements, Lewis Budinauckas and Cameron Logan, are the only two changes to the side that started 9 days ago in the league against Airdrieonians.
Kick-off is still a little over 30 minutes away and already the Thistle fans are in good voice.