Celtic secured a Champions League playoff place with a win against Young Boys.
The Hoops beat Young Boys 1-0 to guarantee another fixture in Europe’s elite competition as Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers sits proudly in 18th place in the league.
With 12 points from 21, Celtic’s Champions League adventure has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride but there is another twist to come as the Bhoys take on Aston Villa next week.
The Premier League club are suffering from a dip in form after a storming start in the competition saw them take the top spot in the Champions League.
But with Celtic next, Neil Lennon looked forward to the Aston Villa game as he pointed to Man City’s failure in the competition to mark just how big of an achievement the Parkhead club progressing is.
Neil Lennon says Aston Villa vs Celtic will be a Champions League ‘celebration’
Looking ahead to Celtic’s fixture against Aston Villa, Lennon seems confident that both sets of fans are in for a real treat next week.
Lennon told talkSPORT, “I think it’s gonna be more of a celebration really, of what both the clubs have achieved this season, but in particular, also off the back of last season getting into the Champions League.
“They’ve sort of stalled [Aston Villa] a little bit as they’ve been a bit sort of inconsistent. Celtic have had a brilliant season.
“They’ve already won the League Cup and qualification into the playoffs is magnificent and they’re going well in the league.
“They’re having a great season and it culminated into the very special night last night for the players.”
Neil Lennon highlights Celtic’s battling Champions League mentality and points to Man City’s failings
Speaking about Celtic’s resilience in the competition, Lennon said that Brendan Rodgers’ team have shown some real mettle after their defeat at Borussia Dortmund earlier in the competition.
Lennon continued, “It was huge [Celtic’s draw vs Atalanta] because it was off the back of a 7-1 defeat in Dortmund and you just don’t know how the team are going to react to that.
“They’ve reacted brilliantly and the teams they have beaten in the competition since then. Celtic Park on a European night is formidable for any team but what it does is elevate the home team and you see that with the great performance against Leipzig and the win last night.
“They’ve got 12 points which is really, really healthy and when you look at some of the teams below them, we looked at the table last night after the game, we see Man City sitting in 25th and it puts into perspective how well Celtic have done so far.”
Man City bottled it against PSG last night after surrendering a 2-0 lead only to lose 4-2 in a second-half collapse that humbled the billionaire club.
As for Celtic, Brendan Rodgers can look forward to another superb Champions League at Celtic Park when the draw is made in February.
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