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Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Pre-Season Friendlies clash between Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Celtic and Sheffield Wednesday get their pre-season campaigns underway on Wednesday afternoon with a behind-closed-doors friendly in Wales.

Ange Postecoglou is taking charge of Celtic for the first time, while Darren Moore is now overseeing an Owls squad which has been decimated after relegation to League One.

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Match preview

Celtic took their time in finding a permanent successor for Neil Lennon, finally settling on former Australia boss Ange Postecoglou as the man to lead them forward during the 2021-22 campaign.

However, faced with a testing Champions League qualifier with Midtjylland on July 20, the 55-year-old has minimal time to work with his players ahead of one of their most important periods of their season.

The departure of captain Scott Brown represents a changing of the guard at the Glasgow giants, and other members of the squad will have to make the step up over the next 12 months.

While Postecoglou is under no illusions that more players could also depart before the end of the summer transfer window, he can only focus on trying to improve his current group.

Osaze Urhoghide and Liam Shaw have both left Sheffield Wednesday to move north of the border, leaving on free transfers after their contracts expired at Hillsborough.

The pair are just two of a team full of players who have moved on to pastures new, leaving Moore with the unenviable challenge of trying to put together a squad capable of achieving promotion when the club's financial problems are dominating the headlines.

Like his opposite number, Moore begins pre-season aware that more players could be sold in the near future, and a certain level of priority will need to be placed on developing some of the club's academy prospects.

This game marks the start of a seven-game schedule before the start of the League One campaign, giving plenty of opportunities for expected new arrivals to get up to speed.

With trips to Charlton Athletic and Rotherham United to come during the early weeks, Moore will acknowledge that he needs the club's preparations to go to plan if they are to avoid a slow start to life back in the third tier.

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Team News

Defender Urhoghide and midfielder Shaw are in line to be provided with their Celtic debuts against their former club.

However, Greg Taylor, Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie, David Turnbull and James Forrest are all expected to miss out after representing Scotland at Euro 2020.

Odsonne Edouard may also not be involved with the Frenchman likely to be sold over the coming weeks.

With Wednesday having fixtures every three or four days for the next two weeks, Moore could name a side mixed with experienced players and younger talent.

Nineteen-year-old defender David Agbontohoma may be given the chance to impress after arriving from Southampton.

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We say: Celtic 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday

With both clubs taking to the pitch for the first time this summer, we expect a relatively slow-paced fixture with plenty of changes for either side.

With that in mind, Celtic may have to work hard to see off their opponents, potentially by the odd goal in three.

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