Celtic aiming to increase global profile in International Champions Cup

Celtic have welcomed their involvement in the International Champions Cup as a chance to increase their global profile.

Celtic will take on Leicester, Barcelona and Inter Milan, fitting games around their European qualifying campaign, in the exclusive pre-season tournament.

The Hoops will host Leicester on July 23, play Barcelona in Dublin the following Saturday and then take on Inter at a European venue yet to be decided on August 13, which will force them to postpone an early Premiership fixture.

The six other participating teams are Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, AC Milan, Paris St Germain and Chelsea.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell said: "Celtic is proud to enjoy its own global profile and we are sure our involvement with the biggest names in the game will only increase interest in the club on a global stage.''

Lisbon Lion Jim Craig represented the Scottish champions at the launch of the tournament in New York.

The European Cup winner said: "By the time we play the games it looks as though, the way things are going just now, it could be the Scottish league champions in Celtic against the English league champions in Leicester City.

"Wouldn't that be a turn-up for the books, because I don't think that was the way it was planned out at the start of the English season.

"Then in our second game we play Barcelona, with whom we've had some great games in the earlier part of this century, and then the third team is Inter Milan.

"What can I say? We won the European Cup against them in 1967 and then, five years later, they gave me my worst ever night in football when they knocked us out on penalties in the 1972 European Cup semi-final.''