Celtic have discovered that they will face Stuttgart in the Europa League play-off stage.
The Hoops beat Utrecht in the final game of the league phase and as a result, have been rewarded by drawing Stuttgart.
They are currently in the mix for a Champions League spot and are one of the toughest teams that Celtic could have faced.
If anyone knows how to perform in Europe, it’s Martin O’Neill, and the return to the scene of a special moment in the run to the 2003 UEFA Cup final.
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Celtic started strongly with first leg victory at Parkhead
Like this occasion, the meeting in 2003 was a two-legged affair, with the first leg taking place in Glasgow.
It was the perfect start for the Hoops as they recorded a 3-1 win in their first post-Christmas European run for 23 years.
Even without John Hartson and Henrik Larsson, they were dealt an early advantage as the visitors were reduced to 10 men following a red card for a professional foul.
O’Neill’s side did go behind at the run of play as Kevin Kuranyi headed the ball home.
Experienced skipper Paul Lambert equalised shortly before half time. Youngster Shaun Maloney, who now works as an assistant to the Celtic legend, then put the Bhoys ahead.
Lambert was the star of the show that night and turned provider for Stiliyan Petrov, who gave Celtic a buffer going into the second leg.
A nervy ending in Germany saw Celtic scrape through
It was simple for Celtic, don’t lose by two or more goals.
They couldn’t have asked for a better start as two goals in three minutes gave O’Neill’s side a 5-1 lead on aggregate.
Alan Thompson and Chris Sutton’s strikes had the visitors in dreamland, but that soon threatened to come crashing down.
Celtic fans would you rather: Win the Europa League but miss out on the league title?
Or… get knocked out of the Europa League and win the title?
Christian Tiffert, Aliaksandr Hleb and Michael Mutzel brought the tie back to 5-4 on aggregate and leave Celtic hanging on towards the end.
Thankfully, they held their nerve and advanced to the quarter-finals.
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