Celtic fans can now get excited as their side travel to face Borussia Dortmund tomorrow evening in a special Champions League occasion that has been a bucket-list affair for many.
Last weekend, the Bhoys showed a ruthless mentality in their thumping 6-0 victory over St Johnstone. Despite the glittering clash ahead, there was no complacency from an outfit determined to show themselves at every level.
Now, collective attention has turned to pulling off a shock in Germany. Last year’s Champions League finalists will be the stiffest test the reigning Scottish champions have faced this season, they could even be the toughest side Brendan Rodgers is tasked with navigating all campaign.
Nevertheless, the Irishman has vowed to ‘impose our style’ on the game, indicating that Celtic won’t deviate from their polished brand of offensive football that has served them excellently so far.
With team selection bound to be on his mind, one performer in his side may have made a case for a start in Dortmund that has become too difficult to ignore.
Paulo Bernardo’s case for starting against Borussia Dortmund
Last weekend, Paulo Bernardo’s curled strike from range against St Johnstone capped an excellent display from the midfielder and his second goal less than a week after levelling the scoring against Falkirk the previous Sunday.
Since arriving permanently from Benfica for £3.5 million in the summer, the Portugal Under-21 international has had to bide his time due to positional competition.
Arne Engels’ record capture, alongside Reo Hatate’s reputation as one of the Bhoys’ main creative influences, has meant Bernardo has only started 50% of matches since returning to Celtic Park.
However, if Celtic are to cause an upset in Dortmund, the best course of action would be to pick based on current form in the engine room.
The Almada-born man is excelling across every facet of his midfield duties. Per Fotmob, Bernardo created four chances, completed 51 of his 56 attempted passes (91%), threaded eight balls into the final third and won seven duels against St Johnstone, adding to a growing list of excellent displays this term in green and white.
Illustrating that he is the man for the big occasion, especially against the Rangers at the start of the month, he arguably deserves a chance to start in Dortmund.
Whether he does or not is another story, but Bernardo looks every inch the player Celtic hoped he would be after opting to bring him back from Benfica after his successful loan spell.
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