Celtic will make their long-awaited return to the Champions League this season, having secured a place in the competition by winning the Premiership title against overwhelming odds. European nights under the lights are always special, and this time even more so, after such a long absence.
The last time Celtic played in the Champions League was under manager Brendan Rodgers. While the Northern Irishman has done an incredible job in domestic competitions, his record in Europe’s elite competition was not stellar.
The Hoops had the misfortune of coming up against incredible teams like Barcelona, Manchester City, PSG and Bayern Munich, so they couldn’t be blamed for not making it through the knockout stages. Whether they can do better under Ange Postecoglou remains to be seen.
A guaranteed Champions League spot is certainly a luxury Rodgers didn’t have when he was Celtic manager. While speaking on Kammy & Ben’s Proper Football podcast and as reported by 67 Hail Hail, the Leicester City boss said:
“I remember playing in Gibraltar; we had a very good pre-season. And that’s the hardest thing, it’s great for Ange now because they don’t have qualifications and go straight to the group stage.
“Back then you had four qualifying rounds. So you have to play eight games just to try to get into the Champions League.
“I had been there in the summer (2016), the guys were fantastic in pre-season, but even in that first game in Gibraltar you could see the vulnerabilities of the team in Europe.
“So we lost 1-0 there. It was a two-leg game that you were going to win because you came back (to Parkhead). But, it was a revelation at the time to lose that opener against, with all due respect, guys who were part-timers.
“And that was a real eye-opener because you could see the fans weren’t happy even though they probably knew we would go through. But that was part of the journey.
Rodgers explains the advantage Celtic have in the Champions League this season
There is no doubt that being in the Champions League group stage without having to go through the qualifying phase is certainly a huge advantage for any team.
Celtic haven’t been able to get past those qualifying rounds for years and it would have been interesting to see if they could have done it this time, under Postecoglou. But luckily we don’t need to find out and the Hoops are already assured of a place in the Main Stage instead.
On the other hand, the Rangers find themselves this time in the qualifying phase. They did well to overtake Royale Union SG, having lost the first leg 2-0. Now let’s see what they do against PSV Eindhoven in the play-offs.
Celtic will make their long-awaited return to the Champions League this season, having secured a place in the competition by winning the Premiership title against overwhelming odds. European nights under the lights are always special, and this time even more so, after such a long absence.
The last time Celtic played in the Champions League was under manager Brendan Rodgers. While the Northern Irishman has done an incredible job in domestic competitions, his record in Europe’s elite competition was not stellar.
The Hoops had the misfortune of coming up against incredible teams like Barcelona, Manchester City, PSG and Bayern Munich, so they couldn’t be blamed for not making it through the knockout stages. Whether they can do better under Ange Postecoglou remains to be seen.
A guaranteed Champions League spot is certainly a luxury Rodgers didn’t have when he was Celtic manager. While speaking on Kammy & Ben’s Proper Football podcast and as reported by 67 Hail Hail, the Leicester City boss said:
“I remember playing in Gibraltar; we had a very good pre-season. And that’s the hardest thing, it’s great for Ange now because they don’t have qualifications and go straight to the group stage.
“Back then you had four qualifying rounds. So you have to play eight games just to try to get into the Champions League.
“I had been there in the summer (2016), the guys were fantastic in pre-season, but even in that first game in Gibraltar you could see the vulnerabilities of the team in Europe.
“So we lost 1-0 there. It was a two-leg game that you were going to win because you came back (to Parkhead). But, it was a revelation at the time to lose that opener against, with all due respect, guys who were part-timers.
“And that was a real eye-opener because you could see the fans weren’t happy even though they probably knew we would go through. But that was part of the journey.
Rodgers explains the advantage Celtic have in the Champions League this season
There is no doubt that being in the Champions League group stage without having to go through the qualifying phase is certainly a huge advantage for any team.
Celtic haven’t been able to get past those qualifying rounds for years and it would have been interesting to see if they could have done it this time, under Postecoglou. But luckily we don’t need to find out and the Hoops are already assured of a place in the Main Stage instead.
On the other hand, the Rangers find themselves this time in the qualifying phase. They did well to overtake Royale Union SG, having lost the first leg 2-0. Now let’s see what they do against PSV Eindhoven in the play-offs.
