Now that Celtic have clinched top spot in Group E of their Europa League table following the recent 3-1 win over Rennes, attention will turn to how far the Hoops can go in the tournament.
The Hoops have been knocked out of the competition at the last 32 stage in the last two years. However, Ryan Christie, who scored in the win over Rennes, is confident that the Hoops can go far in the tournament.
“Go as far as we can”
“We have aspirations in this competition to go as far as we can so it’s really exciting when the draw comes round to see who we get” he said, as reported by the official Celtic website.
“We have a lot of belief in ourselves in this competition, and we believe we can go places.”
With the final group stage match against Cluj essentially a dead rubber for Celtic, attention in the Europa League will turn to the last 32 draw, which is set to be made on the 16th of December.
As group winners, the Hoops will be seeded for the draw, which could give them a less difficult draw than they faced in previous years at this stage of the competition.
Disappointing if Hoops do not go on run in tournament
After all the excitement of topping Group E, it would be a real disappointment if the Hoops fail to progress past the last 32.
It is easy to see why Christie has faith in his team-mates though. They have performed heroically in the group stages so far. The two wins against Lazio will be remembered for many years to come.
This current Celtic side have not been afraid to make history, as they are the first ever Hoops team to finish top of a qualifying group, and the first to win a competitive match on Italian soil. They should be looking forward with confidence to the draw when it is made next month. Hopefully it is the start of a great adventure for the Hoops.
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