Celtic manager Martin O'Neill leads his side into the first leg of their Champions League play-off against Austrian double winners LASK at Parkhead tonight.
The Northern Irishman is aiming to guide the Glasgow club back into Europe's premier competition a quarter of a century after first taking them to the group stage in the 2001-02 season.
Hard on the heels of securing a domestic Treble in his first season in Scotland, O'Neill set about restoring Celtic's European pedigree, establishing an unassailable 3-1 first-leg lead away to Ajax in Amsterdam before navigating a nervous second leg at home.
Victory across the upcoming two-legged tie against LASK would secure immense prestige and vital financial rewards, giving the Celtic hierarchy the time and resources to land additional transfer targets before the window closes.
The club has already invested £30 million to bring four new players to Glasgow ahead of tonight's match, providing significantly more backing than prior to last season's disappointing play-off exit against Kazakh side Kairat Almaty.
O'Neill acknowledged that falling short against Kairat Almaty left a deep sense of frustration after Celtic failed to score a single goal over two legs, but insists the current squad possesses greater firepower.
"With respect to Kairat Almaty, from what I saw last year, I think this tie will be more difficult," O'Neill said. "I feel Celtic should really have gone through last year. That's the feeling with the group of players we still have. There was massive disappointment because they failed to score a goal over the two legs."
"Do I think we are better equipped as a football club now? I think there are more goals in the team now than last season," O'Neill added. "That is absolutely the case. We are capable of scoring more goals. We might draw a blank in both matches, but it won't stop me from feeling we are capable of scoring some goals."
Unfinished European business
Reflecting on his inaugural Champions League campaign 25 years ago, O'Neill recalled how a victory in Amsterdam laid the foundation for Celtic's first group stage appearance.
Winger Didier Agathe scored a crucial goal in that first-leg win against Ajax before Celtic endured a tense return leg in Glasgow to progress.
"That was a really great night," O'Neill recalled of the win in Amsterdam. "I was just speaking to Didier Agathe recently about that. He scored over there. Miraculously. It wasn't his strong point, but he was so good. It was a great night, great to qualify, you know. We did brilliantly there and then we got very nervous for the second leg here. We lost the game, but got through, which was great."
O'Neill admitted he would give his right arm for another nervous evening in Austria next Tuesday, provided the eventual outcome again sees Celtic advance.
Celtic's initial group stage adventure in 2001-02 ended in heartbreak despite collecting nine points with home victories over Porto, Rosenborg, and Juventus.
Crucially, Celtic failed to pick up any points on the road, missing out on qualification for the next phase in a scenario that would normally guarantee passage in almost any other year.
O'Neill remains aggrieved by a controversial late penalty awarded against his team during their opening group match against Juventus in Turin.
"The penalty in the last minute at Juventus wasn't remotely a penalty," O'Neill said. "It wasn't even a foul. We would have made it through and it would have been lovely to have got there. It is what it is, I guess. In terms of now and having a chance of doing it, well, we could get dumped out in this round."
"Those were big blows for us not to get through the group stages because I felt we could have got to the knockout stages," he added. "I do think we had the wherewithal to do fine there as well. I can semi-base that on the fact Porto only just beat us in the UEFA Cup Final and then went on to win it the following year with essentially the same team."
O'Neill also noted that despite an unconvincing performance in their away fixture against Norwegian champions Rosenborg, securing nine group points demonstrated the squad's European quality.
Aspiring to historic standards
Across his two stints managing Celtic last season, O'Neill guided the side into the knockout rounds of the Europa League, where German club VfB Stuttgart ended their run.
Although some observers argue Celtic are currently better suited to UEFA's secondary competition, O'Neill firmly rejects that view, citing the benchmark set by Celtic's famous 1967 European Cup victory in Lisbon.
"I think that the bar was set down here way back in 1967," O'Neill said. "And from then on, I believe that Celtic should be aspiring to that."
O'Neill referenced Celtic's recent group stage experiences, where the team rebounded from a heavy defeat at Borussia Dortmund to secure a hard-fought draw against Atalanta and a victory over RB Leipzig.
He also recalled traveling to Munich, where he felt Celtic delivered an exceptional performance against Bayern Munich, making the subsequent failure to qualify the following season even more difficult to accept.
"It gives you a bit of confidence to go and qualify," O'Neill explained. "I was out in Munich where I thought the team played exceptionally well. The disappointment came from that the next year, when expectations were really high and suddenly you don't even play in the Champions League. Whether you are ready or not, it's immaterial. You should take the opportunity."
Overcoming a troubled qualifying record
Celtic enter tonight's clash seeking to overcome a poor long-term record in Champions League qualifying rounds.
Since O'Neill's team defeated Ajax 25 years ago, Celtic have attempted to navigate the qualifying phase on 18 occasions, succeeding just seven times.
While formidable opponents such as Swiss side Basel and English club Arsenal proved too strong in past ties, Celtic have also suffered unexpected eliminations against lesser-fancied clubs including Artmedia, Cluj, Ferencvaros, and Kairat Almaty.
"We will make an all-out effort to try and make it," O'Neill said. "Of course, if we don't do, we'll be naturally disappointed. It just sets an air of despondency around the club."
Austrian champions LASK represent arguably the most challenging matchup Celtic could have drawn at this stage of the competition.
Managed by Dietmar Kuhbauer, LASK enter the tie riding a wave of momentum after securing their first domestic double of league and cup titles in club history.
The Linz-based club reached the last 16 of the Europa League in the 2019-20 season before being eliminated by Manchester United, and they are now bidding to reach the Champions League group stage for the first time.
O'Neill warned that LASK present a significant physical challenge, combining size, set-piece threat, and counter-attacking speed led by main striker Samuel Adeniran.
"They are very big and strong," O'Neill warned. "Their set-piece is very good, they take long throws and get the ball in the box. They have a bit of pace with the two boys up front, who are really decent. The main striker (Samuel Adeniran) is a big, strong boy. We have to deal with that. I'm not playing it down, this will be difficult."
Celtic host LASK at Parkhead in the first leg tonight before traveling to Austria for the deciding second leg next Tuesday evening.
