Celtic know that a win will guarantee their spot in the play-off rounds of the Europa League knockouts.
The Hoops face FC Utrecht on Thursday night in a game that could set the tone for the rest of the season.
There is extra incentive to win as well after 67 Hail Hail learned about the financial incentive if they qualify for the next phase of the competition.
Utrecht are in awful form and have lost their last four games in a row but will still provide stern opposition at Celtic Park.
In order to learn a little more about our opponents, here are five facts to know about the side from the Netherlands.
Will Celtic beat FC Utrecht on Thursday night?
Utrecht are formed of three clubs
It isn’t uncommon for teams to merge together in order to create one club, and that is what happened in the 1970s.
Three Utrecht-based clubs: DOS, Elinkwijk, and Velox joined together to create one side for the entire city.
No name changes have occurred since.
Utrecht’s stadium is built on cursed ground
Stadion Galgenwaard is where the club have played their home games since 1970 and the story behind it suggests that some strange happenings used to take place in the past.
Galgenwaard translates to ‘Gallows field’ and reports have claimed that executions have taken place nearby to the ground.
Those took place in the 17th century so no need to fear if you’re ever making a trip over to them.
Utrecht qualified for Europe by losing
Relying on other teams’ results is nothing new, but relying on others due to your own defeat is a rarity.
In 2019, Utrecht were able to qualify for Europe due to a series of results in the play-off campaign and the KNVB Cup.
They had to rely on other sides’ teams winning or losing more and thankfully for them, it went their way.
Utrecht have never won the Eredivisie, but have won the cup
Fans have been dreaming of lifting the Eredivisie title since their formation in the 70s, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t tasted success before.
Utrecht have won the KNVB Cup on three different occasions, winning it in back-to-back in 2003 and 2004.
Their first piece of silverware was in 1985 but they will be hoping that they have those days again, or win the league.
What sort of reception will Vasilis Barkas get at Celtic Park when he returns with Utrecht?
Utrecht nearly changed kit colours
Those who know the Dutch side will be familiar with their red and white colours that have been used since founding in the 70s.
However, things could have been different as after the merger, there were talks about abandoning the traditional red and white altogether.
Following fan protests, they decided to stick with the tried and tested, and have done ever since.
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