Celtic will return after the international break with Champions League success in their sights following a promising start to the campaign.
The Bhoys take on Heart of Midlothian next Saturday before all focus shifts to their first involvement in the competition against Slovan Bratislava on September 18th.
Facing the Slovak champions first up, Celtic will also have seven other huge Champions League ties to contend with. Picking the standouts, away trips to Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, and Aston Villa carry a distinctive appeal.
However, you get the impression most of their joy will come at home. Brendan Rodgers is charged with finding a way past RB Leipzig, Club Brugge and Young Boys alongside Bratislava. On the road, visiting Dinamo Zagreb could be another opportunity to get points on the board.
With eight new signings in the building, there is plenty of reason for optimism at the reigning Scottish Premiership champions, which Andy Walker believes they can leverage to their advantage.
Andy Walker’s verdict on Celtic’s summer business
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show, Walker indicated that Rodgers has carried a greater ‘weight’ in the transfer market during the summer and thinks that Celtic could record a double-figure points total in the Champions League.
He explained: “When you look at the business done in the transfer window, it tells you the weight now that Brendan Rodgers has. I don’t think Celtic would be spending that money with Ronny Deila, Neil Lennon, or maybe not even Ange Postecoglou.
“The fact that Brendan’s back, Brendan Rodgers now is back for a second time. Obviously, that would need to be part of the deal. We need to be serious about spending money.
“Celtic have done well in business going out. They’ve brought in a good bit of money as well. I think, in general, you speak to any Celtic supporter now, and there’s a level of excitement and anticipation, a bit like Scotland in the summer, but a level of excitement and anticipation about what they could possibly do in the Champions League.
“Could they get anything between 10 and 15 points? That would obviously secure them further participation in that league. And I think that’s got to be the aim.” Later, he added: “I think they can get more than 10 points.”
Celtic’s aim in the Champions League league phase
Speaking ahead of the draw last week, Rodgers signalled his ambition for Celtic to target a playoff place in the Champions League league phase.
The Irishman stated: “For me, I want us to be able to get into a play-off position. I think that it’s a balance because you’re playing teams that are at a really high level, but you’ve now got eight games.”
With the fixtures that Celtic will undertake, supporters expect the club will finally make inroads at the top table after years of struggling to match the European elite.
Of course, that won’t be straightforward, but some of the ties pulled out of the hat are on the gentler scale of the type of sides you’d expect to face in the Champions League, which has to count for something.
Hopefully, Celtic can get off to a flying start against Bratislava in under two weeks before sizing up how to secure progression from the league phase.
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