Champions League- whose having a laugh?

Can Celtic supporters start looking forward rather than back at the Champions League?

It’s been over two years since the famous tune bounced around Celtic Park and even then it was for a dead-rubber against Villarreal after the dejection of losing out on a Europa League place to Aalborg.

The contrast between the football served up by Celtic over the last few years and that in the Champions League has, until recently, been scary.

Since January however the performances and results from Team Lenny have been strong enough to start casting thoughts forward as to how they might get on outwith Scotland.

Without going overboard, if Lennon’s side can win the title this season it’s not unreasonable to think that Celtic could be hosting Champions League football in the autumn.

Although there is no automatic place in the group stage of the Champions League for the SPL winners the qualification route is easier than Celtic have endured over the last two years with two rounds of qualifiers against champions from similarly ranked countries. 

Watching Copenhagen get brushed aside by a Chelsea side on the decline gives hope to the notion that Biram Kayal, Kris Commons, Emilio Izaguirre and Co. could be playing in the same arena shortly- as Celtic players.

A taste of the Champions League would work wonders for the club at every level as well as the balance sheet. The success so far of Commons, Ledley and Gary Hooper already makes Celtic attractive to Championship players- add in Champions League football in front of 60,000 fans and we might just have a package to compete with Wigan’s annual relegation battle.

Last week’s epic between Arsenal and Barcelona was clearly on a different level entirely from anything that Celtic could be expected to dish up but I don’t think that it’s unrealistic to think that Lennon’s side could be in with a shout of reaching the knock out stage… if they win the SPL.

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After watching Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea succeed in their first leg ties tonight sees Manchester United returning to the competition.

“We’re in the part of the competition that really means something now,” Alex Ferguson said.

“Away goals come into it for the first time because in the group stage you have six games to qualify and we’ve always maintained that if you get the 10 points you’re safe. So the real competition really does starts now.”

United are priced at 11/8 to win in France and although their form away from home in the Premiership has been patchy they won away to Valencia, Rangers and Bursanspor to reach the last 16.

Ferguson’s squad flew out without Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and Anderson but have enough experience and fresh legs to come through tonight’s lively challenge in the south of France.

“At this time of the season everybody gets injuries,” the Old Trafford boss admitted. “We’ve working through a really difficult month in December in terms of number of games. And then through January we’ve had a few games in that month too.

“It’s just the strain of it all – it catches up with some players and we don’t play friendly games of course – they’re all difficult games we have.”

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