Cluj manager Dan Petrescu reckons Celtic are good enough to follow the lead of Ajax and make the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The Dutch side took the competition by storm last year – knocking out Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to the last four. They were perhaps the biggest surprise package in the competition since Porto won the tournament in 2004.
But Petrescu, who’s side face Celtic on Wednesday, thinks the Hoops could do likewise.
The Daily Record have some quotes from the 51-year-old.
“With the way Celtic play it will be very difficult to stop them,” he said. “Our main problem is how to stop them scoring.
“If they qualify, I’m sure Celtic will do well because they have a very young team and also big quality.
“I think Celtic one day, if they don’t sell the players, they can become like Ajax and what they did last year.”
Petrescu makes an interesting point about Celtic
Judging Celtic’s level in Europe is a tough one. On one-off occasions we’ve matched the likes of Manchester City and RB Leipzig – two major clubs from big leagues. However, we’ve also found the going harder against second-tier teams like Red Bull Salzburg and Zenit.
Celtic probably underachieved in Europe under Brendan Rodgers. For all of our domestic domination we never really hit the same heights on the continent despite qualifying for the Champions League in successive seasons.
Rodgers’ European legacy will be the torturous nights against Barcelona and PSG. Lennon, meanwhile, has some big wins in the Champions League to his name. The Northern Irishman masterminded a victory over Barcelona where Rodgers failed.
That’s what makes the possibility of Celtic playing in the Champions League this season so enticing. Lennon has proven that he can set up a team well against Europe’s elite sides. There’s an argument that the current Celtic squad has more quality than the one that got to the last 16 in 2012.
The likes of Joe Ledley and Adam Matthews would have struggled to get into this current side. So it will be really interesting to see how Lennon gets on if he takes us back into the promised land.
First thing’s first though. We need to beat Cluj and then Slavia Prague.
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