Carl Starfelt will not be involved on the pitch against Celtic on Thursday night, but the former Hoops defender has still been part of Celta Vigo’s preparation for the Europa League clash.

Starfelt has travelled to Glasgow with the Celta squad and has been asked for his knowledge of Celtic, Parkhead and what the visitors can expect under the lights in the east end of the city.

Starfelt spent two seasons at Celtic under Ange Postecoglou and was part of the treble-winning side before leaving for La Liga in 2023.

He also shared a dressing room with players still at the club, including Callum McGregor and James Forrest, so Celta boss Claudio Giraldez was always likely to lean on him for some background.

Speaking ahead of the game, as quoted by the Daily Record, Giraldez said: “I spoke to him for him to provide us with some information about this stadium.

“He was here a long time ago but maybe he can give some insight about the team and the way we should approach the game. We’ll be in touch with him.”

Starfelt’s absence removes one familiar face from the pitch, but his input could still help Celta prepare for a difficult European night.

Celtic go into the match looking for their first Europa League points of the campaign after defeats to Ferencvaros and Benfica.

The 7-1 win over Hearts on Sunday gave Martin O’Neill’s side a much-needed lift, with Callum Osmand, Camilo Duran, Benjamin Nygren and Haissem Hassan all catching the eye in attack.

Giraldez has clearly taken notice of Celtic’s attacking threat.

He said: “We don’t fear them but it’s proved it’s a Champions League level team. They’ve always played in Europe.

“We know it will be really hard for us because they did a wonderful game against Hearts and even against Benfica.

“They have a lot of offensive players and can go from the wings so we know they are at the top of their league and it will be difficult. We need to play and defend well and try to make threats to them.”

Starfelt knows that better than most. Celta now have his insight. Celtic’s job is to make sure it only takes them so far.