Celtic could face Ajax in January Turkey tournament

CELTIC will take part in a mid-season tournament in Turkey and could face Champions League opponents Ajax, the organisers of the competition have confirmed.

Celtic's Efe Ambrose heads for goal during the clash with Ajax in Glasgow. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The Hoops have signed up to take part in the Antalya Winter Cup, which runs between January 8 and 12, alongside Turkish sides Galatasaray and Trabzonspor and the Dutch champions.

The Parkhead outfit have already postponed their Scottish Premiership meeting with Kilmarnock on January 11 so they can take part in the event, which will be staged at the 7,100- capacity Akdeniz Universitesi-Stadion in Antalya.

Celtic will face Trabzonspor - whose squad includes former Hibernian defender Sol Bamba and ex-Chelsea winger Florent Malouda - in the second semi-final on Thursday, January 9.

Ajax and Galatasaray open the competition the day before.

The two losing semi-finalists will meet in a third-place play-off on Saturday, January 11, with the winner to be decided 24 hours later when the final takes place.

If Neil Lennon’s side match Ajax’s result, it will set up their third meeting of the season. Celtic registered their only group stage success when they beat the Dutch champions 2-1 in Glasgow but they lost the return 1-0 in Amsterdam, after which five Celtic fans were given jail sentences for their roles in clashes with riot police.