Celtic will travel to Canada next month to face old European rivals Benfica in a glamor friendly match in Toronto.
After traveling to Australia last month, Tony Mowbray’s Hoops will take on the Portuguese giants in a one-off match on Wednesday, September 2, at the BMO Field, with the clubs competing for the inaugural CNE Cup.
The match will kick-off at 7.30pm local time and is being played as part of the annual Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), the country’s largest fair, which attracts over one million visitors every year.
Celtic and Benfica have a long history stretching back 40 years, when the clubs first met in the European Cup in 1969 – the Hoops progressing on the toss of a coin after the two legs finished 3-3 on aggregate.
More recently, Celtic faced Benfica in the UEFA Champions League group stages in seasons 2006/07 and 2007/08. Celtic lost both games in Portugal but triumphed in consecutive seasons at Celtic Park – winning 3-0 and 1-0 respectively.
Celtic previously won a similar Canadian tournament, the CNE Cup of Champions, in Toronto back in 1968 when they beat Italian champions AC Milan 2-0.
Tickets for the match go on sale on August 14 and range in price from $40 to $125 which includes access to the CNE.
(www.celticfc.net)
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