Celtic defender Stephen Welsh has stated it would be a ‘dream’ to start his first UEFA Champions League group stage match at Parkhead tomorrow evening.
The 22-year-old has come through the Lennoxtown academy and is now seen as a regular member of Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
For any Celtic supporter, it is their dream to go and play for the club on some of the biggest stages of them all. And Welsh has down precisely that.
The defender has played in Glasgow derbies and European matches, including last week’s UEFA Champions League outing against RB Leipzig.
However, the one feat that he is still to achieve is starting for the Bhoys in that exact competition during those special nights at Paradise.
As a supporter, Welsh has experienced those nights first-hand and recently talked up his first taste of UCL football at Celtic Park back in 2007, when the Hoops defeated AC Milan.
On Tuesday evening, the Scotland under-21 international could make that first start at Paradise, and Welsh insisted it would be a dream come true as he and his teammates look to use the home crowd to their advantage.
He said [Glasgow Evening Times]: “To go to Parkhead and play in the Champions League is the dream. I have played away from home now, obviously, but it is a different kettle of fish playing at home on a Champions League night.
“It will be my first Champions League start at Celtic Park if I am picked. It is obviously good playing away from home, but a Champions League night at Celtic Park will be a different occasion. Hopefully, we can use the crowd to our advantage.
“The first one I went to was the AC Milan game, the 2-1 game, in 2007. They were the best team in the world at the time, and Celtic went out and won the game. Hopefully, we can do the same on Tuesday night.
“I was seven. It was a long time ago now. They had Kaka, Pirlo. They were a good team, but that night Celtic came out on top. But I am here now to go and play and challenge at the top stage.
“As I say, it is a dream, but you never actually think of it. To go and do that would be a special occasion. But I don’t think we can think of it like that. We need to think of it as a game that we need to go and perform in. We need to play our football and go and win the game.”
Stephen Welsh will be looking to emulate his Celtic heroes by creating another special night at Paradise.
Whilst Welsh’s position in the side for tomorrow evening isn’t guaranteed, it looks like there is a good chance he will be starting alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.
And it would be an enormous occasion for the defender as he looks to go and emulate his Celtic heroes and create another memorable night at Parkhead.
It is bound to be a tough game, as the German side showcased last week. So, the likes of Welsh will need to be at the very top of their game.
However, for spells of the game in Germany, the Bhoys also showed they can compete with another top European side.
So, tomorrow evening could be a night to remember, and if we want to take home three pints in the group, the likes of Stephen Welsh could prove crucial.
In other news, Celtic star misses training as supporters await Ange Postecoglou Leipzig update.
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