So this afternoon will at last tell us. The draw will be prolonged and complicated, full of glitz, adverts and ego trips as the European administrators take advantatge of a rare opportunity when everyone is paying attention to them, but sometime after 5pm this afternoon (Celtic Park Time), we should know who we face.
Dream scenaros and nightmare scenarios have been constructed, but in a sense, it does not really matter because we will be facing three top-notch teams, and it is up to Celtic’s management, players and supporters to rise to the occasion. Let us prove what we have said about the Celtic Park atmosphere (consistently described as the best in Europe) and let us show that we can grind out results away from home. Let the world know that the new revitalised, revanchist Celtic has arrived!
It is an uncomfortable fact that our rivals have done well last night and on other occasions. Radio stations, television programmes, websites and newspapers have told us all morning just how good they are. Through gritted teeth, we must admit that they might have a point.
But the success in the other part of Glasgow can have a good spin-off effect on us, not least in that it has removed quite a few potential lame excuses. It is no longer possible to trot out the “poor little Scotland”, “the busy schedule” nor can we really begin sentences with “we cannot compete with…”.
Other clubs and other nations have more lolly than we can ever aspire to, but the game is played on the field of play. Six times this autumn, thrice at Parkhead and thrice elsewhere, eleven men will face eleven men. It will be up to the men wearing the green and white to show that they are worthy.
The ability is there. Is the commitment, the conviction and the confidence there as well? We all now have a part to play. The idea of the European Cup being pounced about with (on open-top buses and these silly presentation pyrotechnical demonstrations that they have now) by a team other than those wearing the green and white is one I have found hard to cope with every year since 1967.
David Potter
Incidentally this excellent article – titled Why Sky shouldn’t be the limit for Scottish football – was published last night on The Celtic Star and has also gone under the radar due to the attention being on the Champions League qualifiers. I thought that Bodø/Glim were very unlucky not to win the tie in the 90 minutes against Dinamo Zagreb then they were hit with two quick-fire sucker punches deep into extra-time so it’s the Europa League for our old pals from the Arctic Circle.
Anyway here’s the link to this excellent article by Mark Nicholas…
I suppose the easiest draw we could hope for would be:
Pot 1. Ajax
Pot 2. Leipzig
Pot 3. Shaktar
…and the top billing draw would probably be:
Pot 1. Real Madrid
Pot 2. Juventus
Pot 3. Dortmund
…can see us drawing an English team though, likely Liverpool from Pot 2, AC Milan from Pot 1.(2 clubs we often face in Europe) and Benfica from Pot 3.