Daily Times

The Champions League’s new format is set for a thrilling climax on Wednesday but Celtic’s place in the knockout phase for the first time in 12 years is already assured.

A dramatic late 1-0 win over Switzerland’s Young Boys on Wednesday guaranteed a top-24 finish in the 36-team table with a game to spare for Brendan Rodgers’ men, who sit level on points with the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The Scottish champions have benefitted from a kind draw that data analysts Opta declared the easiest in the competition.

Celtic’s three wins have come against a trio of sides already eliminated in Slovan Bratislava, RB Leipzig and bottom-of-the-table Young Boys. But the Hoops’ resurgence on the European stage has been part of a wider trend of bigger clubs from smaller leagues enjoying new format.

Feyenoord slayed German giants Bayern Munich 3-0 on Wednesday to book their place in the knockout stages for the first time in 31 years.

PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon and Club Brugge are also on course to qualify, while Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are in danger of crashing out on the final night of action. Renowned for an intimidating atmosphere under the lights of a Champions League night, fans at Celtic Park did not witness a single home win in the competition for a decade between 2013 and 2023. That was despite domination of Scottish football, where they have won 13 of the last 14 league titles.

This season they have seen three in five months and lost just one of their seven Champions League games so far.

“It’s been a challenging decade for this club because of resources and everything else, but I think we’re starting to see that we really can compete – and not just compete but play to a level of football that’s synonymous with this club,” said Rodgers.

The former Liverpool boss said making an impact in Europe was the key in his decision to return for a second spell at Parkhead in 2023.

“It’s a little bit of history created, we haven’t been in the knockout stages for a long time,” added Rodgers.

“To have 12 points at this stage is fantastic from where the club has been. The idea is to be able to sustain this level over the coming years.”

Yet, part of Celtic’s struggle to thrive outside the small pond of Scottish football was exemplified even on their night of glory.

No sooner had the celebrations after the final whistle died down than reports emerged that star striker Kyogo Furuhashi is set for a move to French side Rennes. Despite plundering 85 goals in 165 games since moving to Scotland in 2021, Kyogo has struggled to maintain international recognition with Japan and is reportedly keen to move to a top five league. “All our good players, we want to keep them for as long as we can and generally when there’s speculation, then people have done well so we want that as well,” said Celtic captain Callum McGregor.

“It gets people talking about Celtic and the players that we’ve got so I’m sure the club will do everything they can to keep him because he’s a top player and a top person as well.” Celtic have made a habit of making big profits in the transfer market but the consistent talent drain has come at the cost of progressing in Europe. That has all changed this season as the former European champions revel in the Champions League’s new look.