Their first competitive game of the season was at Celtic Park on 29 July where they were beaten 1–0 by Dynamo Moscow in the 1st leg of the Champions League third-qualifying round for best placed teams.

However, in the return leg at Dynamo Stadium on 5 August, Celtic won 2–0 (2–1 on aggregate) thanks to a 44th-minute goal by Scott McDonald and a late injury-time strike from Georgios Samaras, giving Celtic a first away win in Europe since their 1–0 win over MTK Hungaria at Stadium Puskás Ferenc in 2003.

Neil Lennon was then appointed caretaker manager until the end of the season; his first match in charge was a 3–1 victory over Kilmarnock on 27 March.

[1] After the end of the season, Lennon succeeded Tony Mowbray as the next Celtic manager on a permanent basis.

[2] List of squad players, including number of appearances by competition Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.