Thursday’s briefing: Celtic have work to do as Arsenal look to hijack Eze move

Celtic drew a blank in the first leg of their Champions League qualifying play-off against Kairat Almaty at Parkhead.

Arsenal look set to hijack north London rivals Tottenham’s pursuit of Eberechi Eze, who has been preparing for Crystal Palace’s Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad.

Wantaway Newcastle striker Alexander Isak drew criticism from former Magpies captain Alan Shearer.

Bhoys fail to spark

Celtic still have plenty of work to do to reach the Champions League after being held to a frustrating goalless draw in the first leg of their play-off against Kairat Almaty at Parkhead.

In Brendan Rodgers’ 800th match as a manager, there was no traditional early onslaught by the Hoops as the accomplished Kazakh side more than matched their Scottish hosts.

However, with Yang Hyun-jun on for Adam Idah and Daizen Maeda moving to centre forward at the start of the second half, Celtic stepped up the pace and piled on the pressure, but could not find a way through despite 10 added minutes.

Rodgers continues to look to strengthen his squad, but for now will push on as best they can.

“I just have to accept where it is at,” he said, “We will now get ready for Saturday and then the long haul on Sunday, then we will try and get through.”

Gunners step up Eberechi Eze interest

Arsenal are set to hijack north London rivals Tottenham’s pursuit of Eberechi Eze as they await news on Kai Havertz’s knee injury.

Spurs appeared to be in the driving seat for the forward, with talks progressing over a deal for the 27-year-old.

However, the PA news agency understands the Gunners are now exploring a move, with reports suggesting the England international – who was released by Arsenal as a 13-year-old – prefers a switch to Mikel Arteta’s side.

Their interest has accelerated after Havertz suffered an injury setback during Sunday’s Premier League victory over Manchester United, although sources insist it is still too early to give a prognosis on the Germany international.

Alexander Isak situation ‘very messy’ – Alan Shearer

Former Newcastle captain Alan Shearer believes wantaway striker Alexander Isak has poured “flames on the fire” of his stand-off with the Magpies by accusing the club of breaking promises.

Isak has been trying to force a move out of Newcastle all summer, but was frustrated earlier this month when the club rejected an offer from Liverpool, reportedly worth £110million plus add-ons.

Having sat out their pre-season tour of Asia and trained alone since – missing Saturday’s goalless draw at Aston Villa in Newcastle’s Premier League opener – Isak escalated the situation further on Tuesday night with a post on Instagram in which he said “the relationship can’t continue”.

Speaking to Betfair, Shearer said: “I have always said there are two sides to every story, but my feelings are exactly the same – he has gone about it in the wrong way.

“I just think even releasing this statement has thrown flames onto the fire, which he didn’t need to do. It is very, very messy for him and for the football club. It doesn’t benefit anyone.”

What’s on today?

Crystal Palace host Fredrikstad in the first leg of their Conference League play-off at Selhurst Park.

Hibernian take on Legia Warsaw at Easter Road, while League of Ireland outfit Shelbourne play Belfast side Linfield and Shamrock Rovers are away at Santa Clara in Portugal.

In the Europa League, Aberdeen face a qualifying tie against Romanian champions FCSB.

Ahead of the weekend’s Premier League matches, several clubs will be holding press conferences – including Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham, Leeds and Sunderland.