Paulo Bernardo has returned to Celtic with a vengeance and will be determined to build on his excellent Glasgow Derby display last weekend.
The Portugal Under-21 international rejoined the club permanently in the summer for £3.5 million and is set to be relied on in the engine room following Matt O’Riley’s departure.
Composed performances against St Mirren and Rangers have left Bernardo in the ideal position to kick on once the international break concludes. The carrot of involvement in the Champions League has also the scene for him to make a decisive impact.
Arne Engels and Luke McCowan will offer stiff competition after being drafted in during the summer, but the Benfica academy graduate’s familiarity under Brendan Rodgers makes him a known quantity in the side.
Speaking from his international camp as the Selecao prepare to take on Croatia Under-21’s this evening, Bernardo has shared optimism that they can claim the desired result.
Paulo Bernardo speaks from international camp
Portugal Under-21’s travel to Croatia needing three points to remain top of Group G in Euro 2025 qualifying, and Bernardo is confident they can come through the test despite expecting a ‘difficult’ encounter.
He stated [Record]: “They have to play to win, and here in the national team we always play to win. I think it’s going to be a good game of football, in which both teams will want to win.
“We know that because we’re playing away, because the Croatian team has made a lot of changes and has a new coach, that it’s going to be a different game and probably a lot more difficult. I think they’ll be a bit more aggressive at home than they were in Faro, but we have to win the game and we’ll do our best to achieve that.”
Later, he added: “We’ve been improving with every game. The team has changed since the last European Championship and the first few games are always a bit more difficult because the players don’t have any routine. Now it’s getting easier and the group has become more and more united. We can only improve and we’re going to give a positive response in the next game.”
Paulo Bernardo will benefit from international runout
Match fitness is key at this stage in the season and if Bernardo is involved tonight, that can only be a good thing for Celtic.
Undoubtedly, he is an energetic presence at the best of times anyway, but more minutes will increase the quality of his decision-making and mental clarity on the pitch.
Rodgers will be excited to see what he can produce throughout his second spell. Bernardo’s dominant performance against Rangers last weekend was hopefully a sign of things to come this season.
Lastly, Celtic will hope he can come through the test unscathed, with the same sentiment going out to any player involved on international duty.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
