Celtic

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"It's amazing, this feeling is indescribable," Celtic striker Adam Idah tells TNT Sports.

"This is where we wanted to get to, we've been great this season, we've got here now and there's still time to push on.

"Anytime I come on he [Brendan Rodgers] tells me to do my thing and be myself. These are the games I want to play in and have an impact in.

"Reo [Hatate], what a pass! He's unbelievable, what a player he is.

"I got a bit lucky, but we'll take it. I said to the boys I don't care, that's my goal.

"I think we can go far, we have got a great squad.

"We have come this far, why not dream big? We want to go to the top and we will go as far as we can."

Celtic clinched Champions League knockout football for the first time in 12 years after Loris Benito's late own goal secured a dramatic victory over Young Boys on a nerve-shredding night in Glasgow.

It looked like the hosts - who had Daizen Maeda sent off late on - would squander the opportunity as Arne Engels missed a penalty and Kyogo Furughashi had three first-half goals ruled out.

Most of the second half fell flat but the hosts eventually made the breakthrough when Adam Idah's 86th-minute effort was initially saved by goalkeeper Marvin Keller, only for the ball to rebound off captain Benito and bounce into the empty net.

What did you make of that, Celtic fans? How are the nerves after those 95 minutes?

Did you think the chance had gone? Or did you always believe, as Brendan Rodgers said his players did?

Let us know your thoughts, external.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told the media conference: "We get that little bit of luck for the goal that we never had in the first half.

"I've been involved in many games here where you end up drawing that game and it's a bit flat at the end, or even worse you lose the game when you shouldn't have.

"For us to win it, it shows the maturity and the development of this squad.

"The club is always the most important and the supporters from the first whistle to the end could see that the players needed lifted and pushed and they came in all the way through the game, but especially at the end.

"A little bit of history is created, we haven't been in the knockout stages for a long time. For the supporters, it's an amazing night.

"It's a privilege to be here and manage here. There's been so many critics of Celtic at this level, and there's no doubt it is a challenge at this level, but the players have stepped up. They've been absolutely superb."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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The expression on Brendan Rodgers' face when Schmeichel made a 95th-minute save spoke volumes. The manager looked relieved, his emotions no doubt swinging like a pendulum during a game that saw the best of his Celtic side, but also a profligacy that almost cost them.

The first half was brilliant. Young Boys tried to play in a compact shape with a high defensive line. Brave? Perhaps. Naive? It seemed so.

Celtic cut them open time and again to create chance after chance. Nicolas Kuhn missed a couple of good openings and was a little hesitant to pull the trigger.

The disallowed goals might be considered unlucky, but the penalty miss from Engels - his first after six successful spot-kicks - was an incredible fourth let-off, the accumulation of which allowed Young Boys to believe.

The second half was a sloppy affair. Passes started to go astray. Young Boys got higher and higher up the pitch and only superb Schmeichel saves prevented Celtic from going behind.

They dug out the moment of quality in the end as under-fire Idah latched on to Hatate's phenomenal through ball and forced a save that ended with Benito turning the ball into his own net.

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Kasper Schmeichel. For large parts of the first-half the great Dane played the role of casual observer but it was the second-half in which he helped win the game for Celtic.

Two wonder-saves denied Darian Males, while his save to stop Sandro Lauper in the 95th-minute heralded jubilant celebrations inside Celtic Park.

A word for Reo Hatate, too. Industrious in the midfield, with all the neat and tidy play we've come to expect, before a match-winning assist.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

So here it is: Celtic's biggest game of the season. They've played better opposition and more glamorous names. When it comes to what's at stake, however, nothing else comes close.

The magnitude of this match is such it may allow manager Brendan Rodgers finally to fulfil a long-cherished ambition of making a mark in Europe.

As Young Boys head away from the canton that boasts the Bernese Alps, the gaze of the Scottish champions is fixed on a different summit. Their climb is almost complete: one more win and Celtic will rise to the heady heights of Champions League knockout football for the first time in over a decade.

Domestic dominance is par for the course for this Celtic manager. What really floats his boat, you sense, is breaking new ground. That's what tempted him to return, that sense of unfinished business. If the Swiss can be defeated, the box ticked is arguably the most satisfying one: European respectability.

Yes, the draw was incredibly kind to Celtic. Their section comprises the three weakest sides in the competition, going by current standings. Neither RB Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava nor Young Boys mustered so much as a draw between them.

Nonetheless, putting eight goals in total past the Slovakian league leaders and the fifth-place team in the Bundesliga is not to be sniffed at.

Young Boys may pose less of a threat. They sit ninth in the 12-team Swiss Super League and have conceded 22 goals in the Champions League so far, scoring just three.

While Celtic will not – dare not – take anything for granted, they'll never have a better chance of European progression. Twelve points would almost certainly get the job done while rendering next week's jaunt down to Birmingham to face Aston Villa all the more enjoyable.

With the transfer window winding down, and Kieran Tierney's name pencilled in for the roster either this month or in the summer, the guaranteed extra revenue that Champions League qualification brings could very well green light other deals Celtic are working on.

Another big night under the lights in Glasgow's east end. The season's big ambition on the line. An opportunity further to enhance the club's spending power.

It may only be Young Boys of Bern but the chance for Celtic to mature at Europe's top table undoubtedly makes this the most significant match so far in a season that's promising to deliver on all fronts.

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Celtic captain Callum McGregor says the current team don't want to be remembered as Champions League "nearly men" and is relishing their "shootout" against Young Boys on Wednesday night.

Three points at home to the side bottom of the 36-team table would all but secure Celtic's place in the play-off stage for the first time since 2013.

"Obviously it's a big game, we know what's at stake," said McGregor.

"You've got to do everything you can to make sure you win these Champions League games and have a positive experience. If we do that then we know what lies ahead.

"We've tried and failed pretty much most of the time so it's a big step for the club. Everybody wants to be a part of it and we've done ever so well so far but we don't want to be the nearly team."

A draw against Young Boys, who have yet to pick up a point, could prove to be enough to take Celtic through with a game to spare but McGregor is focused solely on victory.

''We want to win the game, that's where our mentality is," said the midfielder.

"It's the same as we approach every game - we want to win no matter the competition. If you set out to play for a draw or whatever then straight away your psyche is not right and you're not quite at the top of the game."

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Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has signed a new contract to stay with Celtic until 2026.

The Denmark international, 38, joined the club as Joe Hart's replacement before the start of the current season and agreed a one-year deal.

Formerly of Manchester City, Nice and Anderlecht, Schmeichel added to the Premier League and FA Cup medals he won with Leicester City by saving a crucial penalty in Celtic's Premier Sports Cup final shootout win over Rangers in December.

Schmeichel has kept 20 clean sheets in 34 appearances so far this season and has been capped 111 times at senior level.

Celtic host Young Boys in Wednesday's Champions League tie (20:00 GMT) before Dundee visit the Scottish Premiership leaders on Saturday (15:00).

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BBC Sport's chief sportswriter Tom English says Wednesday night's game against Young Boys is a "glorious opportunity" for Celtic to progress to the Champions League play-off round.

A victory at Parkhead would move Brendan Rodgers' side on to 12 points and all but secure their place in the top 24.

Young Boys are bottom of the 36-team table and have suffered six defeats out of six.

"They're the weakest of all the teams in the Champions League," English told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"They've had their worst domestic start of a season in 100 years. They're conceding goals left, right and centre. This is it.

"This is a glorious opportunity. You couldn't have hand-picked a better fixture for Celtic to get the job done and get into the play-offs.

"So the draw and the flow of the games has worked to Celtic's advantage for sure. But they've had to amass this points total to give themselves a shot at getting through against the weakest team.

"I'd be staggered if they don't do it. I know Celtic haven't been great of late, but I think they're going to win this game comfortably."

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Celtic winger Luis Palma, 25, is being chased by Sunderland, Stoke City, Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers as well as several European clubs. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, Celtic have been handed a boost in their quest to bring 27-year-old Scotland defender Kieran Tierney back to the club with the emergence of talented teenage Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly opening the door further for a January exit from London. (Record), external

However, Celtic are unlikely to reach Aston Villa's asking price for Louie Barry after reportedly having a £10m bid rejected for the 21-year-old forward. (Football Insider), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Loris Benito received contrasting impressions of Celtic Park from two former Glasgow-based team-mates, but both told the Young Boys defender "the atmosphere is going to be incredible" on Wednesday.

Right-back Saidy Janko played for Celtic in the 2015-16 season after joining from Manchester United, while striker Cedric Itten was a title winner with Rangers in the 2020-21 campaign.

Top scorer Itten is a certain starter for the Champions League game, but Janko has been sidelined with a thigh injury since July.

"I did speak to them," defender Benito said. "I got very different answers, because one played for Rangers and the other one for Celtic.

"But what they were able to tell me is that the atmosphere is going to be incredible."

However, Benito pointed out that "it's going to be first" for Itten as well as he played at Celtic Park during the Covid pandemic.

"The first question I asked Cedric was how is the atmosphere and he said the only downside was that there were no fans in the stadium," he said.

"I think it's been a couple of years that Saidy has been here, so the team has changed quite a lot in those past."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Brendan Rodgers says qualifying for the knockout stage of the Champions League would be a big step for the club and "very special" for him.

A win over Swiss champions Young Boys would almost certainly be enough to see his team through to the play-off round.

Celtic haven't reached those lofty heights since 2013 when Neil Lennon was in charge.

Despite all his achievements in his first stint as manager, Rodgers didn't manage to emulate his fellow Northern Irishman.

"I mentioned when I came back that we would like to make genuine progress at this level," he said.

"I never promised anything. I just promised we would do our very best and look to see if we could progress because it's been such a long time.

"There have been some good performances without the results. The managers before me have done great jobs here. What we wanted to do was to be able to make that next step and I feel we're in a great position to do that."

Rodgers says Celtic's final home game in the league phase of the competitions has the feel of a cup final.

"We've been able to get ourselves into a really good position with nine points and our home form at the level has been really good," he added.

"We have the opportunity now to take a big step to get to the play-off."

Celtic's opponents are placed 36th of 36 teams in the Champions League and have yet to earn a point, but Rodgers refuses to write them off.

"I know there's been lots of noise around the record and where they're at, but they're a team that won the Swiss League last season by 12 points," he said.

"Obviously, it hasn't gone so well for them this season and they're on their third manager now. The games we've watched, they are what you'd expect a team of this level to have, athletic ability and quality.

"But, really, the focus has to be very much on ourselves, so we will respect the opponent. But we want to really press and continue to attack the game"

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media before Celtic's Champions League game with Young Boys on Wednesday night.

Here are the key lines from the Celtic boss:

• Rodgers says Celtic are in a "great position" to reach the knockout stages for the first time in over a decade - a win on Wednesday would secure a play-off spot - and achieving that feat would be "very special".

• The team's reaction to the 7-1 defeat in Dortmund earlier in the campaign shows they have "matured", with Rodgers adding: ''They're definitely evolving and that's what you want to be able to see."

• The Celtic boss isn't listening to the "noise" around Young Boys' poor record in the Champions League this season. The Swiss side are bottom on zero points, but Rodgers says: ''The games we've watched, they are what you'd expect a team of this level to have, athletic ability and quality."

• Rodgers says it'll be up to his players to calm any nerves among supporters by playing with the "speed and quality we've shown at this level, especially at home".

• The game has the feel of a cup tie for Celtic, according to Rodgers, who stresses his players "understand the magnitude" but must "play the game and not the occasion".

• He wants to replicate the magic of historic European nights at Celtic Park, saying it is "what the culture and the history of this club has been set on".

• Apart from winger James Forrest, everyone is fit.

Tino
Fan writer

"We have to remember it's the elite level of club football. Some people will look at some teams and think that's easy, and that's not the way football works."

The words of Brendan Rodgers in the immediate aftermath of this season's Champions League draw.

Wise words at the time, and words which provide a timely reminder that we won't have it all our own way on Wednesday night at Celtic Park.

The draw pitted Celtic with some big hitters, including current Europa League holders Atalanta and Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund, but also with some lesser European lights such as Slovan Bratislava and next opponents, Young Boys.

As the manager rightly pointed out, nothing is easy at this level and that very much applies to our clash with the Swiss champions.

Celtic head into this one as strong favourites – and for good reason – but as much as we're all hoping for (and expecting?) a vital win, there can be no complacency from Rodgers and his men.

On paper, Celtic should fancy their chances against a side sitting rock bottom of the 36-team table with a grand total of zero points and a goal difference of minus 19.

Domestically they're faring no better and currently occupy ninth place in the Swiss Super League, just above such luminaries as Yverdon and Winterthur.

But to underestimate a side who have lifted six of the last seven titles in Switzerland would be a foolish move.

A new manager, the experienced Giorgio Contini, has been put in place and his first target will be to restore some pride among his squad.

Of course their European ambitions will end at the conclusion of matchday eight – but a team with nothing to lose can be a very dangerous proposition.

The challenge under the Celtic Park floodlights will be for Rodgers' side to take care of the job at hand and they'll do so IF they bring their A-game.

The European form that has taken them to nine points and the cusp of progression. The form that's seen them concede just twice in four Champions League games since that chastening defeat by Dortmund in October.

And the form that's led fans to believe that maybe – just maybe – we could be on the verge of genuine progression on the continent for the first time in over a decade.

As the manager says it certainly won't be easy, but let there be no doubt, this one is absolutely there for the taking. Over to you Celtic!

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external

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Arne Engels says Celtic "belong" in the Champions League knockout stages as they look to secure a play-off spot with victory over Young Boys on Wednesday night.

Celtic have not played knockout football in the Champions League since 2012-13 when they lost to Italian giants Juventus in the last 16.

But a home victory over the pointless Swiss side would ensure a place in the play-off round and maintain hopes of an automatic place in the last 16, with a trip to Villa Park still to come in the final game.

"We are really ready as a squad and we also feel that we have qualities to make the difference," said Belgium midfielder Engels.

"We feel also, in big games against good teams, that we can do really well and that we can perform.

"So of course, as a team, we all feel that we belong to the knockouts and we will do everything to go there.

"But we will see after the game. It is now just focusing on the game and the job that we need to do and after Aston Villa, we can hopefully talk about it.

"I don't want to talk about what if or what would be. We still need to achieve it and it's a big game for us coming up Wednesday and a big opportunity."

Engels scored his first Champions League goal when Celtic opened their European campaign with a 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava in September and the club record signing is expecting another "crazy" Celtic Park atmosphere when Young Boys visit.

He said: "It was unbelievable for me personally. It was the first time that I played in the Champions League.

"So experiencing that in Celtic Park and getting a really big win there was unbelievable for me, and also, I think for the team, that gave us a real boost that we can really achieve something this year with the squad that we have, with the qualities that we have. It was a really nice night.

"The supporters will be there again and we will be there, so it will be a really crazy night, hopefully."

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery dismisses suggestions his side may take their foot off the gas when they take on Celtic in next week's Champions League match, with the English club well placed to progress before this week's games. (Record), external

Midfielder Aiden Haddow, 19, has joined Hearts from Celtic. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip