Václav Černý will be back at Celtic Park on Thursday night with Beşiktaş, but the former Rangers winger is fighting to be fit after a knock near his knee.

The Czech picked up the injury in Beşiktaş’s win over Başakşehir but he has travelled with the squad.

Whether he plays or not, his name has been doing the rounds all week. STV have been pushing the water bottle story again on their social channels ahead of the game. Even keeping in the sound for, presumably a Rangers fan telling Cerny at the airport to get his water bottle ready.

Vaclav Cerny to return to Celtic Park after infamous water bottle incident
https://t.co/jiFCMeTaAj https://t.co/cgBwz9QTgM

— STV Sport (@STVSport) November 4, 2026

That incident came in March 2025. After Hamza Igamane’s 88th-minute winner gave Rangers a 3-2 win at Celtic Park, Černý, who had already been substituted, ran down the touchline squirting water at Celtic supporters in the main stand, and police and stewards had to step in.

Police Scotland took no action and the SFA handed him a formal warning. Brendan Rodgers did not hold back at the time:

“It’s a lack of respect if a player runs up a touchline and he’s squirting a water bottle in a supporter’s face.”

Černý later told Czech outlet Sport that he had been caught up in the moment: “The stands are close, I didn’t even know what was happening at that moment. I just ran.”

Earlier in that same game, he had rounded Kasper Schmeichel only for Maik Nawrocki to clear off the line. Nobody talks about that chance now. The water bottle is what stuck.

His loan from Wolfsburg brought 18 goals in 52 games, yet he left Glasgow without a single medal, and he joined Beşiktaş in September 2025.

I think if you asked Cerny if he would rather be remembered for that or actually winning, he would have taken some medals. But Celtic under Brendan Rodgers at the time made sure that didn’t happen.

Celtic host Beşiktaş at 8pm on Thursday, live on TNT Sports 3, still searching for their first points of the league phase. Not many Celtic fans believe this current side is capable of getting a draw, never mind a win.

Here is the permutations ahead of the game and what Celtic need from the next five games to qualify.

Opening the team picker…