So here it is: Celtic’s biggest game of the season. They’ve played better opposition and more glamorous names. When it comes to what’s at stake, however, nothing else comes close.
The magnitude of this match is such it may allow manager Brendan Rodgers finally to fulfil a long-cherished ambition of making a mark in Europe.
As Young Boys head away from the canton that boasts the Bernese Alps, the gaze of the Scottish champions is fixed on a different summit. Their climb is almost complete: one more win and Celtic will rise to the heady heights of Champions League knockout football for the first time in over a decade.
Domestic dominance is par for the course for this Celtic manager. What really floats his boat, you sense, is breaking new ground. That’s what tempted him to return, that sense of unfinished business. If the Swiss can be defeated, the box ticked is arguably the most satisfying one: European respectability.
Yes, the draw was incredibly kind to Celtic. Their section comprises the three weakest sides in the competition, going by current standings. Neither RB Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava nor Young Boys mustered so much as a draw between them.
Nonetheless, putting eight goals in total past the Slovakian league leaders and the fifth-place team in the Bundesliga is not to be sniffed at.
Young Boys may pose less of a threat. They sit ninth in the 12-team Swiss Super League and have conceded 22 goals in the Champions League so far, scoring just three.
While Celtic will not – dare not – take anything for granted, they’ll never have a better chance of European progression. Twelve points would almost certainly get the job done while rendering next week’s jaunt down to Birmingham to face Aston Villa all the more enjoyable.
With the transfer window winding down, and Kieran Tierney’s name pencilled in for the roster either this month or in the summer, the guaranteed extra revenue that Champions League qualification brings could very well green light other deals Celtic are working on.
Another big night under the lights in Glasgow’s east end. The season’s big ambition on the line. An opportunity further to enhance the club’s spending power.
It may only be Young Boys of Bern but the chance for Celtic to mature at Europe’s top table undoubtedly makes this the most significant match so far in a season that’s promising to deliver on all fronts.
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Publish date : 2025-01-22 06:23:00
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