Celtic now look forward to facing Bologna in the Europa League now that the Scottish Cup tie against Auchinleck Talbot has been taken care of.
Europa League qualification is still viable for Celtic if they can avoid defeat at Bologna and beat Utrecht in the final group game.
Many Celtic fans would have been less confident heading into this game if Wilfried Nancy was still in charge at Parkhead.
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With the Martin O’Neill effect in full flow at Celtic, the Hoops support will take inspiration from the Bhoys’ win at Feyenoord as proof that a win in Italy is possible.
And that appears to be the thoughts of Bologna’s Lewis Ferguson as the Scottish international shares how his Serie A teammates are feeling about facing the Bhoys with O’Neill in the dugout.
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Lewis Ferguson expects tough test for Bologna after Celtic sacked Wilfried Nancy
Celtic’s sacking of Wilfried Nancy came after the Frenchman’s 33-day disastrous spell in Paradise.
And Ferguson has sympathy for the former MLS man.
Ferguson told The Sunday Post, “When you get off to such a bad start, it is so hard. And, for a club like Celtic, where the expectations are so high, losing six out of eight games is not good enough.
“They decided they had made a mistake and it was time to change again, which is fair enough. If it is not working, then it is not working.
“Unfortunately, that is how football goes nowadays.”
Why Lewis Ferguson believes Martin O’Neill is a ‘safe pair of hands
Bologna must have been rubbing their hands at the prospect of facing Celtic under Nancy. And now that O’Neill is back, the Italians know that they are now in for a battle.
Ferguson continued, “There is not any time to implement things. Especially at a club like Celtic, it is win first and everything else comes after that.
“It must have been tough for Nancy, but they have changed again and, as I say, Martin is a safe pair of hands.
“He knows how to get the best out of the players, so we will be expecting a really tough game.”
Celtic have only won on Italian soil once in the club’s history and that was back in 2019 when Neil Lennon managed the Bhoys to that historic Europa League win.
For Celtic to repeat that feat on Thursday night, the Hoops support will feel far more confident of achieving that with the enigmatic Northern Irishman leading them out at the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium.
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