Matt O’Riley is eyeing a sensational swan song to Celtic’s bittersweet Champions League campaign where the results failed to match the performances and the Celtic players have been left frustrated at their bottom place finish in Group F after picking up just two points in the draws against Shakhtar Donetsk, in matches that the Hoops should have won.
It’s maybe with a bit of defiance that O’Riley, who has been named in Denmark’s 55 man provisional squad for the Qatar World Cup, looks ahead to Wednesday’s trip to take on the current European Champions Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
“We don’t want to go there just trying to take part. I’d like to win the game because we haven’t won one yet – and I think we deserve to,” the Celtic midfielder said, as reported by Daily Record. “It would be nice to get three points on the board in a Champions League game.
“We have to try and win because five points looks a lot better than two. To do it against a very high level of opposition in Real Madrid, it would tick a box for us. And I think we can do it.”
On his prospects of getting a call up to the final Denmark squad boarding the plane from Copenhagen to Qatar next month, O’Riley probably realises that a stand-out performance against Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu might be his last big opportunity to get the call.
“I still think there’s a chance for me but I haven’t heard too much. I’m trying not to think about it because I did before and I don’t think that helped me,” O’Riley admitted. “I’m in the 55 which is a positive but we’ll see how we go. I’m just focusing on what I do at Celtic. That takes a bit of pressure off me and the rest will take care of itself.”
